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Keywords: Beams, Columns, Girders, Laminated Lumber, Laminating, Lumber, Mechanical Lamination, Mechlam, Wood Design, Wood Structures

1 Purpose and Scope

1.1 Purpose. The purpose of this Engineering Practice (EP) is to establish guidelines for designing and calculating engineering properties of wood assemblies comprised of three or four wood layers fastened together with dowel-type fasteners no larger than 6 mm (0.25 in.) in diameter.

1.2 Scope. This Engineering Practice provides equations for calculating the adjusted design moment for bending about either assembly axis, and the adjusted design forces for axial tension and axial compression for spliced and unspliced mechlam assemblies. This EP also contains methodology for establishing the flexural rigidity value (EI) for bending about either assembly axis and equations for calculating minimum flexural rigidity values (EI_min) for beam and column stability calculations.