Column crushing

Structure · Columns · printed page 46 (PDF page 47)

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Book index entries

Crushing Structural

Text in the illustration

floor joist
built-up beam
wood shims are often used at the top of columns
these may be cedar wedges (weaker wood and small bearing surfaces) that are particularly prone to crushing
wedges between column and beam mean that the beam is not well connected to the column
concrete block column
footing
concrete floor slab
gravel
wood column
with wooden columns, check for crushing at both the top and the bottom
if there is crushing at the bottom, rot may be involved

Generated explanation

Two section diagrams show a concrete block column and a wood column supporting built-up beams beneath floor joists. Both columns bear on footings at the concrete floor slab, with gravel shown beneath the slab. The concrete block column has wood shims between its top and the beam; annotations warn that cedar wedges with small bearing surfaces are prone to crushing and leave the beam poorly connected to the column. The wood-column diagram identifies the top and bottom as locations to check for crushing, with the base highlighted by a dashed outline. An annotation notes that crushing at the bottom may involve rot.