952-1 General Specifications for All Structural Timber.
This Section specifies the requirements for pine timber to be used as structural members in the Department’s work, including untreated timber as well as timber to be treated. All such timber shall be manufactured and graded in accordance with the current edition of the Standard Grading Rules for Southern Pine Timber, of the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau. The timber shall meet the requirements of No. 1 grade or as oth erwise specified in the Plans.
952-2 Timber for Other Specific Uses.
952-2.1 Specification Grade: For timber to be used for columns, sills, wheelguards,
bulkhead, sheeting, bracing, fender wales, or any other purpose for which the grade is not specified o therwise, the specification grade shall be as follows: Table 952-1 Nominal Thickness Nominal Width Grade 1 to 1.5 inches 2 inches and wider No. 1 Boards 2 to 4 inches 2 inches and wider No. 1 Dimension 5 inches and larger 5 inches and larger No. 2 Timbers
952-2.2 Permissible Knot Sizes for Fender Wales: For timber used as fender wales, the
maximum permissible size of knot (at any point on any face) shall be as follows: For nominal width of face of 10 - 3-3/4 inches. For nominal width of face of 12 - 4-1/2 inches.
952-3 Untreated Pine Timber - Specific Requirement for Heartwood.
In addition to meeting all of the requirements of 952 -1 and 952 -2, pine timber which is to be used as untreated timber will be required to show at least 85% of heartwo od on any girth. FY 2023-24 Return to Table of Contents SECTION 953 TIMBER PILING (INCLUDING TIMBER SHEET PILING)
953-1 General.
Piles shall be of timber which will stand the driving for which they are intended. They shall be sound and solid. Piling cut from southern pine shall contain at least 30% of summer wood. Cypress piles used for purposes other than as foundation piling shall have, at the butt, a diameter of red or black heart of at least 12 inches. Douglas fir used for timber piling shall be Pacific Coast Douglas Fir. Piles shall be cut above the ground swell, shall have a form taper, and shall not vary more than plus or minus 6 inches from the specified length. Specific requirements for timber sheet piles are contained in 953 -6.
953-2 Diameter of Butt and Tip.
For round piles the minimum bu tt diameter shall be 12 inches, measured at a section 3 feet from the end. For piles up to 50 feet in length , the minimum tip diameter shall be 8 inches. For lengths in excess of 50 feet, a graduated reduction in tip diameter at the rate of 1 inch for eac h 10 feet of length in excess of 50 feet will be permitted. This reduction will correspond to 7 inch tips for 60 foot piles and 6 inch tips for 70 foot pile; at which length these allowable reductions shall cease. As an exception to the above, when so show n in the Plans, 7 inch diameter tips on timber piles less than 60 feet in length will be accepted. No piles shall have tips less than 6 inches in diameter. The maximum diameter at the cut -offs shall be 20 inches.
953-3 Straightness Requirements.
A straight line drawn from the center of the butt to the center of the tip shall not, at any point, fall further away from the center of the pile than a distance equal to 1% of the length of the pile. The surface of the pile shall not contain kinks greater than 1 inch in 5 feet, as measured by a straightedge.
953-4 Peeling and Trimming.
The pile shall be peeled soon after cutting. In the operation of removing the bark from the pile, not more than three annual rings of the solid wood shall be removed. All knots sha ll be trimmed close to the body of the pile.
953-5 Permissible Knots and Other Defects.
The diameter of sound knots shall not exceed one -third of the diameter of the pile at the point where the knot occurs. In these Specifications , a sound knot shall be defined as a knot which is solid across its face, is as hard as the surrounding wood and shows no indication of decay. It may vary in color from red to black and may contain a pith hole not more than 1/4 inch in diameter. An unsound knot may or may not be as hard as the surrounding wood, but contains decay, and will be allowed only in accordance with the restrictions in ASTM D25. FY 2023-24 Return to Table of Contents