Timber Restoration Services (TRS) prides itself on being at the forefront of Timber Structure restoration and construction especially as it pertains to Heritage sites among others. In line with our company’s mission and values of making Timber a material of choice in construction projects and educating those on its benefits and properties; we partnered with Wood Research and Development to host them for a Level I virtual course on timber structure inspection, maintenance, retrofitting, and design. This course is designed for but not limited to timber structure maintenance workers, asset and facility managers, and engineers.
Course Goals
The course is designed to equip participants with the knowledge and understanding of the consequences of a structural failure, and how to identify potential risks in timber structures. Participants will learn how to assess damage/defects, recognize deficiencies, and devise effective maintenance strategies for long-term durability and safety. They’ll also be taught the fundamentals of timber design and retrofitting to increase the existing structure’s strength, stability, and performance.
Benefits of the Course
Attendees in addition to learning the skills covered in the course, students who successfully complete the course receive a certification to conduct level 1 timber inspections on structures. In addition to this, they’ll also receive a certificate for 16 continuing education learning hours for professionals required to earn a certain amount of credits each year.
In addition to our own mission statement, TRS is passionate about timber structures of historical significance We hope that this course will not only help timber workers to be equipped with the knowledge needed to care for those structures but also further educate them on the importance of Timber Structures in general.
Details about the course
The course itself will be delivered virtually via Zoom from February 7-10, 2023. The course itself is split up into 4 blocks of content lasting 4 hours each. The Course will be led by Dr. Dan Tingley who serves as the Senior Timber Engineer and Wood Technologist at Wood Research and Development. Dr. Tingley is an award-winning engineer whose experience spans over 4 decades and he holds 42 patents on wood technologies. There will be 2 tests students are required to successfully pass in order to receive their certification and learning hours certificate upon the course completion.
Course Breakdown
BLOCK 1 (4 HOURS) 10-MINUTE BREAK EVERY 50 MINUTES
Overview of Inspection Techniques and Maintenance Methods:
During this block, students will cover the following topics and more.
- Wood deterioration
- Detecting deterioration
- Effects of fungal decay on the properties of wood
- Preventing decay
- Interior and Exterior decay detection
- Moisture content in timber structures
- Core sample analysis versus sounding borers
- Refurbishment of existing wood structures utilizing high-strength fibers and polymers.
BLOCK 2 (4 HOURS) 10-MINUTE BREAK EVERY 50 MINUTES
Advanced Bridge/Building Maintenance Techniques Part A
This core competency is complex so it has been broken up into two parts which are covered in blocks 2 and 3. During Part A students will learn about the following.
- Connectors
- Treatments of timber for both end treatments and void treatments
- Water migration
- Wood expansion due to moisture content change
- Decay prevention methods such as fumigation and other procedures for proper timber bridge maintenance.
- Questions and Answers.
Test on Block 1 and 2 content
BLOCK 3 (4 HOURS) 10- MINUTE BREAK EVERY 50 MINUTES
Advanced Bridge/Build Maintenance Techniques Part B
This is a continuation of the competency from Block 2 and is a continuation and expansion of those topics. In this block, students will immerse themselves in learning about the following.
- Timber types such as round log stringers and glulam beam cross heads.
- How treatment and wood species/manufacturing methods affect maintenance procedures.
- How connector types and connection methods affect maintenance procedures.
- Refurbishment methods of old timber bridge connector systems.
BLOCK 4 (4 HOURS) 10-MINUTE BREAK EVERY 50 MINUTES
Advanced Bridge/Building Restoration Techniques
- Utilizing advanced non-destructive testing techniques coupled with advanced materials such as shear panels and high-strength tension reinforcement fibers.
- Discussion about advanced preservation methods such as horizontal versus vertical through bolting and advanced materials such as high-strength fiber and diffusers.
- Closing Remarks
- Questions and Answers
Test on Block 3 and 4 content
Testimonials
Here are some great things that past students have said about attending a timber structure course and their learning experience.
“Before attending this course, I had received bad news on our timber bridges. Every inspection gave more problems than solutions, suggesting that on most bridges further inspections and major works were required, or, that they were beyond repair and should be replaced. This was coupled with, timber costs increasing rapidly and the costs of the conventional replacement being unaffordable to the community. Attending this course has opened my eyes to many of the reasons for the short life span of our timber bridge components, provided an understanding of what is required to extend their lives, and given hope for the restoration of timber bridges that had already been written off.”
– DAVID GOODMAN – MANAGER CIVIL WORKS
“During this course, I learned about common defects and wood deterioration mechanisms, good and bad maintenance practices, and non-destructive testing and strengthening methods. I particularly enjoyed the hands-on part of the training where we used all the testing equipment in the field during the bridge inspection. The training was well organized and Dr.Tingley was very knowledgeable and happy to answer all questions we had. The course was a great opportunity for meeting other professionals and networking. I would recommend it to anyone who works with timber bridges.”
–YVONNE ULAS – STRUCTURE ASSESSMENT ENGINEER
Registration
We look forward to hosting you all on January 18th, 2021! If you have any questions or would like to register for the course, please click here. Registration for the course is open. Further information regarding how to register can be found on the WRD website. We look forward to seeing you at this enlightening event!