Left: Detail of fissure, 35 mm at start of fissure.
Right: Detail showing the length of the fissure, measured at 2580 mm long.
Specialist Timber Beam Repair Case Study
Devon Farm House - Principal carrier split and deflection
click on pictures for a larger view
This is a principal carrier beam located in a Devon farm house, and what can be seen here is that the original beam has had heavier loads imposed on it. Consequently the beam deflected and caused a substantial fissure to open up.
The bearing end had also rotted, due to wet rot, and a close inspection revealed a hair line crack through the beam's thickness.
Left: The first job was to push the lower section of the beam up to the original building line and to close the fissure.
Right: A series of 32 mm connecting holes were drilled into the beam to a depth of 330 mm.
Left: The drill holes were cleaned out using a chain saw, and the resultant slot was vacuumed clean.
Right: Bearing end ready to be cut off.
Left: New bearing end manufactured by Property Repair Systems. Laminated oak.
Right: New bearing end hand carved detail.
Left and right: Condition of the bearing end.
Left: Bearing end cut off.
Right: New bearing end sealed to the principal carrier.
Left: Slot alignment of principal carrier to new bearing end.
Right: Steel bars, 25 mm diameter, full slot length, inserted and resin bonded. Unfortunately not shown, the fissure was reconnected to the principal carrier by the bonding of 25 mm steel bars.
Right: Fissure showing filler. The filler was used as a shuttering, behind the filler are steel bars and resin. This fissure was completely opened up to the main central pouring slot, and therefore all the defects were cast as one unit. Now ready for the client's decorator.
Left: Finished beam end.