Structural Timber in Historic Buildings A PhD studentship is open to applications based at the Institute for Sustainable Building Design at Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. The studentship is in collaboration with Historic Environment Scotland.
Timber has been a major building material in Scotland for millennia. Historically it has been used in a number of ways including structural building support, cladding, ceilings, floorboards, window frames, doors and many others. In preserving historic and traditional buildings, a balance needs to be struck between retaining as much of the original building fabric as possible, and maintaining a sound building that is safe to use. Timber is subject to decay over long time scales through chemical degradation and biological attack. Degraded timbers often need to be replaced with modern equivalents. Some timbers survive remarkably well over time, but the mechanical and chemical properties of these timbers is not well understood. This can lead to some cases where historic and modern timbers co-exist in a building, often in physical contact with each other. Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has recently funded a PhD studentship to examine the properties of replacement timbers that co-exist with the historic material. Heriot-Watt University (HWU) is currently undertaking testing to determine the baseline mechanical properties of historic timber. The mechanical properties of wood depend on the orientation of the cellulose microfibrils (microfibril angle) and the density of the wood, yet details of the microfibril cross-linking that are not so well understood. Variation in microfibril angle and density, controlled by tree physiology and biomechanics, leads to an order of magnitude of variation in longitudinal modulus even within a single tree. Despite some progress in knowledge, the restoration of timber structures has remained a challenge for practitioners who require further information from practical testing to deliver a fuller understanding of the mechanical and chemical properties of wood and better inform its replacement. These results would have a practical outcome and benefit through providing information for an updated 'Guide for Practitioners' publication (application of Scottish Building Regulations) to be published by HES. The aim would be to establish testing procedures through analysing different ancient timber in comparison with modern timbers as currently used in conservation or restoration. The research should take into account non-destructive methods as much as possible, as well as utilising information from previous studies to identify other testing methods, Further, the mechanical testing would be complemented by chemical analysis of timber using portable NIR spectroscopy, which can give accurate and useful chemical information on the polysaccharides within wood. In addition to a successful PhD thesis, the student will contribute to research papers for publication relating to this project involving Historic Environment Scotland. As this project is designed ultimately to assist building conservation professionals and archaeological site conservation professionals in solving future problems, the results will be made available to these conservation communities through the medium of publication and presentations at meetings, including HES Technical Guidance and Conservation Workshops. Informal enquiries should be directed to the primary supervisor, Dr Craig Kennedy, at [email protected]. Dr Craig Kennedy Associate Professor School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society Heriot Watt University Edinburgh EH14 4AS Tel: 0131 451 4629 ________________________________ Heriot-Watt University is The Times & The Sunday Times International University of the Year 2018 Founded in 1821, Heriot-Watt is a leader in ideas and solutions. With campuses and students across the entire globe we span the world, delivering innovation and educational excellence in business, engineering, design and the physical, social and life sciences. This email is generated from the Heriot-Watt University Group, which includes: 1. Heriot-Watt University, a Scottish charity registered under number SC000278 2. Edinburgh Business School a Charity Registered in Scotland, SC026900. Edinburgh Business School is a company limited by guarantee, registered in Scotland with registered number SC173556 and registered office at Heriot-Watt University Finance Office, Riccarton, Currie, Midlothian, EH14 4AS 3. Heriot- Watt Services Limited (Oriam), Scotland's national performance centre for sport. Heriot-Watt Services Limited is a private limited company registered is Scotland with registered number SC271030 and registered office at Research & Enterprise Services Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS. The contents (including any attachments) are confidential. If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of its contents is strictly prohibited, and you should please notify the sender immediately and then delete it (including any attachments) from your system. ****** Unsubscribe by sending a message to [email protected] Searchable archives: http://cool.conservation-us.org/byform/mailing-lists/cdl/
