106 / 228
2. LVL STRUCTURES IN FLOORS, WALLS, ROOFS AND IN SPECIAL APPLICATIONS
2.5.7 Bent and curved structures
LVL boards and panels can be bent in the flatwise direction to
form curved structures when the bending and shear stress is
taken into account in the design. Unless otherwise specified in
more detail, LVL-P boards and LVL-C panels can be bent in
the grain direction of the surface veneer according to the fol-
lowing specifications:
• Radius of curvature R ≥ 450 x panel thickness
• Bending only in the grain direction of the surface veneer
• Unless otherwise specified more in detail, LVL-C panels can
also be bent flatwise perpendicular to the grain direction of
the surface veneer according to the following specifications:
• Radius of curvature R perpendicular to surface veneer grain
direction ≥ 350 x panel thickness
• Bending only perpendicular to the grain direction of sur-
face veneer
Figure 2.90.
LVL panels bent flatwise in parallel to grain direction (left) and perpendicular to grain direction (right).
As the cross veneers of LVL-C reinforce the product in the
panel width direction, it can be cut to various shapes and used
as the load-bearing structure of ambitious architectural designs
or to create unique interiors. When production series are small
and unique, CNC machining the shapes from panels is an eco-
nomical solution. In structural design, strength properties at
an angle to the grain must be taken into account according to
the instructions given in subsections 4.3.6-7 or according to
the LVL supplier’s instructions.
104
LVL Handbook Europe