Glulam Beam - Checking Problem

[Snobdds]

Besides, I don't like that anatomy figure. They act like a gluelam has seperate areas of function. It's one big beam that is all glued under pressure. It acts like one piece of wood. There are no slipper plates to divide the beam into different areas of forces.

I get over-simplication for comprehension, but that is bad.

 

[LD1]

Its a simple beam. Bottom in tension, top in compression. No if's ands or but's about it.

I would defer to what an engineer says. I am no that familiar with glue-lams

 

[LouNY]

i wouldn’t let it go. That beam should not have left the manufacturing plant. By your picture, it appears you have separation in more than a few joints. I would contact the material supplier. Your building inspector will have comments. Removal looks to be a real *****. Possibly add plate steel on each side and bolt thru. A structural eng. would confirm.
Interested in the outcome.

Yes to contacting the material supplier,
Hell no to talking to the building inspector untill a very last resort.

I second the opinion to check in with building inspector. A structural engineer could offer thoughts as well. Better to check before you modify anything, then you'll own the issues.

Engineer yep, inspector why ask for troubles from a bureaucratic idiot.

He showed what the depth was. It's way more than an inch and on both sides. In my world that called a split. It's almost all the way through.

View attachment 813152

View attachment 813160

It looks to me like you have the situation in picture labeled OK, but I would be worried that it was heading towards the NOT Ok.
I would definitely be getting the manufactures rep involved even if it required threating to hire a lawyer and structual engineer at your cost and back billing them the cost.
If it could be epoxy injected, compressed back together, cured then be placed back in service while in place would seem like the best way to go.

 

[ponytug]

@Pettrix sorry to see that you are having an issue. I would try to get the glulam engineer out. S/he will have the best insights, and I would follow up with a letter of your understanding of what they said.

I have done a fair amount of epoxy work over the years, and I suspect (from the couch here) that the beam could be glued on site, especially if it can be lifted from below during the glue hardening time. I also suspect that something like a Simpson Strong-Tie plate might work as well, but that's a guess.

I'm all for building inspectors, but I think that this is first and foremost an engineering call, not a code call.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Pettrix]

@Pettrix sorry to see that you are having an issue. I would try to get the glulam engineer out. S/he will have the best insights, and I would follow up with a letter of your understanding of what they said.

I have done a fair amount of epoxy work over the years, and I suspect (from the couch here) that the beam could be glued on site, especially if it can be lifted from below during the glue hardening time. I also suspect that something like a Simpson Strong-Tie plate might work as well, but that's a guess.

I'm all for building inspectors, but I think that this is first and foremost an engineering call, not a code call.

All the best,

Peter

Looks like they will get a speciality company with an engineer to come out and do the repairs. Initially it looks like they are recommending a high-grade epoxy and 10"+ Timber screws from the bottom. Might run screw jacks from concrete pad to beams while epoxy is curing to use as a clamping force.

 

[JJT]

A contractor friend had a similar issue about a year ago, the homeowner found two cracked rafters after the contractor finished a reroofing job. My friend took ownership of the issue, even though it could have predated the reroofing job. The fix was glued and screwed sister rafters on both sides of the cracked rafters, approved by homeowner who was an engineer. They put a 6' level/straight edge on the cracked rafters, there was no sag.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

That's not checking, it's delaminating. The manufacturer has a glue failure. See what they propose, but chances are they will eat replacing the beam.

 

[5030]

My steel I beam has never delaminated.... Wasn't that much either. Bought it from a local scrap yard but I did have to shorten it a bit. I used the excess for an anvil in the shop.

 

[dstig1]

The beam would only be in tension if the load was directly in the center of the beam. Since the load is more on the outside of the building, the beam stays in compression.

No, LD1 is correct. Any beam simply supported like this is ALWAYS in tension on the bottom and compression on the top, even just from its own weight. Of course the applied load will be far greater than the weight, but it does not matter if the load is directly in the center as you noted, or distributed (which is most common).

I have a giant glulam in my great room that spans like 30' and it has never cracked the slightest bit. It sounds like from the OPs last post that they are beyond investigating and actually planning to make repairs which is good. This does not look like anything I would let go, IMO.

Here is my glulam beam. Before finishing and after

 

[5030]

I would have put a rusty I beam up there. The rust adds character.