Comparative Investigation of the Strength Properties of Local Timber in Consideration for Structural Use

The use of timber in construction dates back to 500BC. From the beginning, man has been using wood in buildings as columns, beams, and for roofing too. This study focuses on investigating some of the strength properties of local timber species in the Benin city timber market. The timber specimens used for this project are Camwood, Likiba, and Okhwen. Moisture Content, Compressive Strength, and Tensile Strength tests were performed on each specimen sample. Test specimens were prepared following BS373 (1957) methods of testing small clear specimens of timber for laboratory test on compression parallel and perpendicular to the grain, tensile parallel and perpendicular to the grain. From the results obtained, basic stresses were computed from values of failure stresses recorded. Likiba, Okhwen, and Camwood, were found to have an average moisture content of 12.11%, 10.90% and 7.99%, and an average compressive strength of 49.89 N/mm2, 27.46 N/mm2, and 53.39 N/mm2, also an average tensile strength of 126.5 N/mm2, 169.8 N/mm2 and 197.5 N/mm2 respectively. Therefore, it was concluded that Camwood, Likiba, and Okhwen are hardwoods suitable for structural works such as roof trusses, railway sleepers and in rare cases, as beams in small structures.