Earlier this year the German Institute for Construction Engineering (Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik – DIBt) issued a National Technical Approval for load-bearing timber connections using LIGNOLOC® wooden nails. After extensive tests and complex calculation models, all expectations of the expert committee were met.
The approval enables the planning, design and execution of load-bearing connections in timber frame construction. Planks and panels made of solid timber, wood-based materials, or gypsum fibre, can be attached to wood building materials using LIGNOLOC® wooden nails from Raimund Beck GmbH. In addition, connections can also be made with LIGNOLOC to produce bracing and load-bearing wall diaphragms.
Since wooden nails are not yet covered by a standard, the test results had to give the committee of experts the confidence they needed to approve the product for 50 years of use in construction.
“The technical approval makes our vision of sustainable building with sustainable fastening systems even more tangible and it is the official confirmation that this is not just a crazy abstract idea, but a completely well thought-out and marketable concept. For us it represents the first major step out of the niche towards the mass market,” commented Dipl-Kfm Christian Beck, general manager and CEO at Raimund Beck.
LIGNOLOC is the first collated wooden nail for future-oriented use in industrial production and in ecological wood processing, made from central European beech wood. The special design of the LIGNOLOC nail point, and the large amount of heat generated by friction when the nail is driven in at a high-speed, cause the lignin of the wooden nail to weld with the surrounding wood to form a substance-to-substance bond. This effect – referred to as lignin welding – has been tested and confirmed by scientists at the University of Hamburg, by means of UV scanning of the cell structure.
Key benefits of LIGNOLOC wooden nails include not acting as thermal bridges and avoiding unsightly wood discoloration or traces of corrosion, as well as causing less tool wear when processing nailed wooden components subsequently. Raimund Beck points out the nails are also ideal for ecological timber construction using 75% less greenhouse gases than when producing steel nails.
“With the approval for LIGNOLOC wood nails, the application possibilities in timber construction will expand even more in the future,” commented Christian.
Having spent a decade in the fastener industry experiencing every facet – from steel mills, fastener manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, as well as machinery builders and plating + coating companies, Claire has developed an in-depth knowledge of all things fasteners.
Alongside visiting numerous companies, exhibitions and conferences around the world, Claire has also interviewed high profile figures – focusing on key topics impacting the sector and making sure readers stay up to date with the latest developments within the industry.
