REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS/1994

PLEASE 00 Nor REMOVE FRavI LIBRARY

Design Methods To Enhance the Capacity,

Stiffness, and Timber Utilization of Wood
Cribs
r
f
UBRARY
SPOKANE RESEAriCH CENTER
RECEIVED

By Thomas M. Barczak and David F. Gearhart

MAR 1 b J94
us BURE.t.U Of f"llNES
E. 315 t.fJ+./TOOMEAY AVE.

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

u "-~.
 U.S. Department of the Interior
Mission Statement
As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the Department of
the Interior has responsibility for most of our nationally-owned
public lands and natural resources. This includes fostering
sound use of our land and water resources; protecting our fish,
wildlife, and biological diversity; preserving the environmental
and cultural values of our national parks and historical places; and
providing for the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation.
The Department assesses our energy and mineral resources and
works to ensure that their development is in the best interests of
all our people by encouraging stewardship and citizen participa-
tion in their care. The Department also has a major responsibility
for American Indian reservation communities and for people who
live in island territories under U.S. administration.

Cover Photograph:' Inspection of roof fall in cribbed mine

entry by U.S. Bureau of Mines engineer. Photo by Frank
Chase, Pittsburgh Research Center, U.S. Bureau of Mines,
Pittsburgh, PA.
Report of Investigations 9494

Design Methods To Enhance the Capacity,

Stiffness, and Timber Utilization of Wood
Cribs

By Thomas M. Barczak and David F. Gearhart

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bruce Babbitt, Secretary
,
BUREAU OF MINES I,
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International Standard Serial Number

ISSN 1066-5552
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CONTENTS
Page
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Abstract. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Improving the performance of conventional wood crib designs ................................... 4
Alternative wood crib designs ........................................................... 7
Hercules cribs ..................................................................... 7
Crib-post support ......................................... ,....................... 11
Summary and conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Appendix.-Wood crib performance model ................................................. 14

ILLUSTRATIONS

1. Load-displacement relationship for stiff and soft support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

2. Failure of roof beam due to inadequate crib stiffness. ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3. USBM's Mine Roof Simulator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
4. Effort to increase contact area using parallelogram crib geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
5. Conventional wood crib design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
6. Generalized force-displacement relationship for conventional wood crib design ................... 5
7. Interlayer contact area as function of timber width and number of timbers per layer ............... 5
8. Performance of conventional wood crib designs .......................................... 5
9. Support resistance for conventional, multi timbered oak cribs normalized to wood volume. . . . . . . . . . . . 6
10. Wood crib performance as function of wood species . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
11. Wood crib aspect ratio .. : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
12. Direction of loading relative to wood grain orientation ..................................... 8
13. Hercules crib constructed from preformed mats .......................................... 8
14. Comparison of Hercules cribs constructed from oak and poplar timbers ........................ 8
15. Single- and double-mat designs ...................................................... 9
16. Performance comparison of Hercules crib configurations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
17. Effect of increasing interlayer contact area and percentage of parallel-to-the-grain loading of Hercules
cribs by increasing number of vertical blocks ........................................... 9
18. Effect of rounded timber slabs on Hercules crib performance ....................... '. . . . . . . . . 10
19. Performance comparison of Hercules cribs to conventional cribs .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 10
20. Crib-post support ................................................................ 11
21. Application of crib-post support concept to conventional 3x3 and 4x4 crib configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
22. Test results of crib-post support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
23. Comparison of crib-post support with conventional multitimbered crib configurations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
24. Comparison of conventional 2x2 crib, single-mat Hercules cribs with rounded timbers, and crib-post
support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

TABLES

1. Mechanical properties of common wood species . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2. Compressive strength of mine timbers for parallel-to-the-grain loading ......................... 8
3. Comparison of contact configurations for cribs documented in figure 24 ....................... . 1 2
I~ UNIT OF MEASURE ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS REPORT

cm centimeter kN/m kilonewtol1 per meter

cm 2 square centimeter kPa kilopascal

cm/cm centimeter per centimeter Ib pound

ft foot Ib/in3 pound per cubic inch

in inch MN meganewton

in 2 square inch N newton

kip 1,000 pounds N/cm 3 newton per cubic centimeter

kip/in 1,000 pounds per inch pct percent

kN kilonewton psi pound per square inch

h
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DESIGN METHODS TO ENHANCE THE CAPACITY, STIFFNESS,

AND TIMBER UTILIZATION OF WOOD CRIBS

By Thomas M. Barczak 1 and David F. Gearhart2

ABSTRACT

This U.S. Bureau of Mines report describes methods to enhance the capacity, stiffness, and timber
utilization of wood crib supports. Since stiffer supports minimize strata deflections that contribute to
roof instability, efforts to maximize crib stiffness while maintaining stability through a wide displacement
range should be a design priority. The stiffness and capacity of conventional crib. designs, employing
alternating layers of wood timbers that are loaded perpendicular to the grain, can be increased by
increasing the interlayer contact area or by using higher strength wood. Contact area can be increased
by using wider timbers or employing more timbers per layer. Concepts that provide parallel-to-the-grain
timber loading will provide substantial increases in crib stiffness and capacity. Two concepts that utilize
this principle are examined: (1) an original South African design that constructs wood cribs from
preformed layers (mats) of timber where short blocks are oriented vertically between horizontal slabs;
and (2) a design that employs full lengths of timber placed vertically in the interior of a conventional
crib structure. These designs also provide more efficient timber utilization by providing greater support
capacity per volume of wood used in the crib construction.

iResearch physicist, U.S. Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh Research Center, Pittsburgh, PA.
2Pl'Oject engineer, SSI Selvices Inc., Pittsburgh, PA.
 2

INTRODUCTION

Wood cribs are used extensively to stabilize under- through full-scale testing in the USBM's Mine Roof Sim-
ground mine openings. This is accomplished by providing ulator (MRS). This 13,344-kN (3-million-Ib) load frame,
resistance to deflections of the immediate roof and floor shown in figure 3, permits controlled loading of crib
and by supporting the weight of rock masses in the imme- structures so that the load-displacement relationship can
diate roof that become detached from stable roof struc- be evaluated.
tures. Wood cribs maintain stability and provide a re- Examination of a conventional crib design that employs
sistive force through a large displacement range, making two timbers per layer with 900 alternating layer orientation
them compatible with a wide variety of mining conditions. shows that only one-third of the wood contributes to the
The purpose of this U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) in- support capacity by providing contact among intersecting
vestigation is to identify methods to increase the capacity timber layers. The remaining two-thirds contribute to the
and stiffness of wood cribs, and to improve the utilization stability of the crib structure, but provide little contribution
of wood in the crib construction while maintaining the to resisting roof loading. Since the cost of wood timbers
necessary stability of the crib structure. These objectives will continue to increase in the future and add to the cost
meet the USBM's goals of improving ground support of ground support, another design priority is to minimize
technology to reduce hazards and the cost of mining. the cost of support by maximizing support capacity per
The goal of wood crib design is to develop sufficient volume of wood utilized in the crib construction. The
resistance or load capacity within a displacement that will benefits of multitimbered conventional wood crib designs
prevent roof failure. However, as passive supports, wood that employ more than two timbers per layer and concepts
cribs develop resistance only through com pression (dis- that employ parallel-to-the-grain loading are also examined
placement) of the wood timbers caused by convergence of from the perspective of timber utilization.
the mine roof and floor. Therefore, the primary design Previous research in wood crib design includes efforts
consideration is the stiffness of the crib structure. Stiffness to maximize crib stiffness by employing parallelogram crib
is a measure of the resistive force developed by the crib as geometries to increase the interlayer contact area (see
a function of its displacement (see figure 1). Inadequate figure 4).3 However, this approach had limited success
crib stiffness results in excessive roof sag that causes because of the degraded crib stability caused by the
delamination of the roof layers and failure of the roof reduced structural moment of inertia of the parallelogram
beam' (see figure 2). When these conditions occur, in- geometry. Strata Products (USA) Inc. has obtained the
creasing the stiffness of the crib support will improve the rights to market wood crib designs, which were originally
stability of the mine opening. developed and tested in South African hard rock mines.
This research examines the potential to improve the These designs have now been refined to meet the needs of
stiffness of conventional wood cribs by increasing the the American coal mining industry. This report docu-
interlayer contact area and by using wood of a higher ments the results of tests conducted in collaboration with
compressive strength. Alternative concepts that employ Strata Products (USA) Inc. on these novel crib designs
parallel-to-the-grain timber loading are also examined and makes comparisons of their performance to conven-
tional crib performance.
+ 3Barczak, T. M., and C. L. Tasillo. Factors Affecting the Strength

t
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Stiff support and Stability of Wood Cribbing: Height, Configuration, and Horizontal
Displacement. BuMines RI 9168, 1988, 23 pp .
U
0:::
f2
w
u
z
f':!
(/)
u;
W
0:::

! Soft support

- - CONVERGENCE (OISPLACEMENT)- +
Figure 1.-Load-displacement relationship for stiff and soft Figure 2.-Failure of roof beam due to inadequate crib stiff- , i
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support. ness.
 3

Figure 3.-USBM's Mine Roof Simulator.

KEY
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. -~
Contact area

Fiigure 4.-Effort to Increase contact area using parallelogram crib geometry.

 4

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors wish to acknowledge Martin Van Der Frans Pienaar, research consultant to Strata Products
Merwe, vice president of marketing, and Cliff McCartney, (USA) Inc., for reviewing the USBM's wood crib per-
field engineer, of Strata Products (USA) Inc., Atlanta, GA. formance model and participating in the testing of the
Mr. Van Der Merwe was responsible for promoting a Hercules cribs at the USBM facility. Finally, our ap-
Memorandum of Agreement with the USBM for designing preciation is extended to Brian Mueller, project engineer,
the Hercules crib to accommodate American wood species SSI Services Inc., Pittsburgh, PA, for assisting in con-
and mining conditions. This objective was accomplished ducting tests and providing input to the research program
through full-scale testing of several Hercules crib designs and preparation of this report.
in the USBM's MRS. Gratitude is also expressed to

IMPROVING THE PERFORMANCE OF CONVENTIONAL WOOD CRIB DESIGNS

Wood cribs are typically constructed in an open box timbers per layer in the crib construction. The designa-
configuration by stacking layers of timber in opposite tions 2x2, 3x3, and 4x4 are used to describe two-, three-,
direction as shown in figure 5. The wood timbers are and four-timbers-per-Iayer construction designs as shown
loaded perpendicular to the grain, producing a force- in figure 5.
displacement response as illustrated in figure 6. 4 The The increase in contact area due to an increase in
curve is largely bilinear. The initial stiffness of the crib timber width and an increase in the number of timbers per
represents the elastic behavior of the wood. After layer is shown in figure 7. The contact area increases with
yielding, the crib stiffness is reduced as the wood exhibits the square of the timber width and the square of the
plastic behavior. number of timbers per layer as described in equation 1.
The capacity and stiffness of the open box configuration
is mostly determined by the contact area among inter- AREA = (TW)2 x (TIMB)2, (1)
secting crib timbers.s Therefore, the capacity and stiffness
can be increased by increasing the contact area through
where AREA interlayer contact area,
the use of wider timbers or by increasing the number of
TW timber width,
4Barczak, T. M., and C. L. Tasillo. Evaluation of Multitimbered
Wood Crib Supports. BuMines RI 9341, 1991, 11 pp.
5Barczak, T. M., and D. F. Gearhart. Engineering Methods for the and TIMB number of timbers per layer.
Design and Employment of Wood Cribs. BuMines IC 9361,1993,34 pp .

. .... .. . .
"

. ' :.' ..... ,

••••, • 1'< "j

.: ".,,' "!o'

.0',""'" 0',,' '" \'

2)(2 3X3 4)(4

configuration configuration configuration
Figure 5.-Conventional wood crib design.
'i

The 3x3 and 4x4 multitimbered configurations provide widths of 10, 15, 20, and 25 cm (4, 6, 8, and 10 in) is
contact areas considerably larger than is feasible with 2x2 shown in figure 8. Those crib constructions with equal
construction where the timber size is limited to a width of contact areas as identified above have equivalent force-
25 cm (10 in). Equal contact areas are provided for the displacement relationships. This graph can be used to
following combinations of timber dimensions and crib select a support of the required stiffness. For example, if
jl constructions: 445 kN (100 kips) of force is required at less than 5 cm
(2 in) of displacement, then a 2x2 crib with 15-cm (6-in)
1. 2x2 with 15 cm (6 in) timber width and 3x3 with wide timbers or a 3x3 crib with lO-cm (4-in) wide timbers
10 cm (4 in) timber width; is required. Since the elastic stiffness of a crib is typically
2. 2x2 with 20 cm (8 in) timber width and 4x4 with seven to eight times greater than its plastic stiffness, it
10 cm (4 in) timber width; and
3. 3x3 with 20cm (8 in) timber width and 4x4 with
15 cm (6 in) timber width.
DISPLACEMENT, in
o 2 4 6 8 10
6r---.----r--~----~--~J--~
The resulting force-displacement relationship for 2X2, 2 x 2 configuration
3x3, and 4x4 crib configurations constructed from timber 1,000
4

+ -I-I-Llnear elastic
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deformation 2 ~
..,..,-"- -'-'-'--
.. - "
/...:... ..-.-:..._---------
- "-"- 500

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transition
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(,) Nonlinear plastic

-- _.-.
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f!
..... LI near plastic
6r---,----r--~----~--~~

w deformation 3 x 3 conflguration_ _ " - -

(,)
Z 4 /.. .. 1,000
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z /., __ . - . - .
f3 ~ 2 .~."".-, _-------- 500
It/~ .......__...._---------------1
0:: ~

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~O-=:;;;-..I.---....I--....l----L..--..J..----IO a::
l.i... ol.i...
10r---.----.---.---.---~_,

- - CONVERGENCE (DISPLACEMENT)-+ 4 X4 configuration,.........-.;---·· 2,000

Figure 6.-Generallzed force-displacement relationship for
conventional wood crib design.
8

.,/
.. / "
--.--. 1,500

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TIMBER WIDTH, in /
. /'
..,..-.
1,000
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 4
// . ....------ ..-----
(\J

~ 10
12
KEY
Configuration
1.6 .S
(\J
2 tI:; ...................
----- 500
If)
0 --0-- 2 x2
If)
o '.,. / .-------:---1
"':' 8 --o-3x3 1.2 ~
< -o-4x4 q;
W o 5 10 15 20 25
o
w 6 0:: 30
0:: .8 q;
< DISPLACEMENT, em
t; 4 t;
.4~ KEY
z~ 2
0
(,)
0
8 Timber dimension, em
10 by 10 by 91
'0 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 0 ------- 15 by 15 by 91
TIMBER WIDTH, em - ' - ' - 2 0 by 20 by 91
_ .. - .. - 25 by 25 by 91
Figure 7.-lnterlayer contact area as function of timber width
and number of timbers per layer. Figure a.-Performance of conventional wood crib designs.
 6

is advantageous to design a crib to provide the required Table 1 documents the compressive strength and hardness
support resistance during elastic behavior (see figure 6). of common wood species used for crib construction,6 and
For example, if 890 kN (200 kips) of resistance is re- figure 10 shows the force-displacement crib response for
quired, a 2x2 crib constructed with IS-cm (6-in) wide tim- selected wood species. Since crib response is determined
bers will have to displace approximately 18 cm (7 in) to by the weakest timber, cribs should be constructed from
provide this support,. while a 3x3 crib constructed from wood of the same species or similar compressive strength
IS-cm (6-in) wide timbers will require less than 3 cm and hardness.
(1 in) of displacement.
The 3x3 and 4x4 multitimbered configurations also Table 1.-Mechanlcal properties of common wood species
provide for more efficient timber utilization, as measured
by the support capacity normalized to the volume of wood Compressive Average
Wood species strength,! kN/m2 hardness,2
used in the crib construction. Figure 9 shows the normal-
(psi) N (Ib)
ized support resistance for a 2x2, 3x3, and 4x4 conven-
Hardwood:
tional crib, 183 cm (72 in) in height, constructed from 15-
Yellow birch ....... , . 4,9(35 (723) 4,537 (1,020)
by 15- by 91-cm (6- by 6- by 36-in) oak timbers. Rock eim .... , ...... 6,978 (1,012) 5,026 (1,130)
Although the material costs per crib increase with the Black locust ......... 13,004 (1,886) 7,272 (1,635)
number of timbers per layer and increased timber widths, Black maple ..... ..
, 6,874 (997) 4,492 (1,010)
the construction costs decrease when normalized to load Red maple ......... , 4,730 (686) 3,670 (825)
capacity. Therefore, the material costs required to provide Northern red oak ..... 6,805 (987) 5,093 (1,145)
Pin oak ., ... , ...... 8,129 (1,179) 5,738 (1,290)
a specified support capacity are reduced for multitimbered White oak .......... 7,647 (1,109) 5,383 (1,210)
crib configurations as the number of timbers per layer Yellow poplar ..... , .. 3,214 (470) 2,180 (490)
increases or as the timber width increases. Employment Softwood:
costs for a support system are determined by the material Douglas fir ....•..... 5,330 (773) 2,602 (585)
costs for crib construction and the labor costs for instal- Western larch ....
'" 5,987 (867) 2,980 (670)
Jacl< pine ......... , . 3,965 (575) 2,157 (485)
lation. Hence, employment costs as measured by dollars
Lodgepole pine ...... 3,054 (443) 1,801 (405)
per foot of entry are dependent upon the arrangement and Ponderosa pine ...... 4,116 (597) 1,735 (390)
spacing of the cribs. Wider timber utilization or multi- Tamarack .......... 4,820 (699) 2,157 (485)
timbered crib configurations that employ more than two !Unseasoned wood specimen at 0.04 In of displacement.
timbers per layer can be employed at less cost than con- 2Average of dry and unseasoned values.
ventional 2x2 configurations, provided they can be spaced
at distances commensurate with their increased capacity,
The force-displacement curves shown in previous fig-
The capacity and stiffness of conventional crib design
ures represent a crib height of 183 cm (72 in) with timber
are also dependent on the type of wood used in the crib
lengths of 91 cm (36 in). Since the crib response is
construction. For example, at 5 cm (2 in) of displacement,
dependent upon the aspect (height-to-width) ratio of the
a crib constructed from IS-cm-wide (6-in-wide) red oak
crib structure (see figure 11), different responses will occur
timbers will develop 574 kN (129 kips) of resistance, while
for other crib constructions. Cribs with a larger aspect
a lodgepole pine crib will develop only 240 kN (54 kips).
ratio have lower stiffness and are often less stable, re-
sulting in less support capability at large displacements.
DISPLACEMENT, in Force-displacement relationships for any crib design can
o 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 be computed using the USBM's wood crib performance
4.0 .--....-,---r-,.-....-,--r--;---.-,--r-..,--..---r-r:.". 15
,.' model,7 Appendix A describes the procedure for applica-
.. ' .,'

.. ' .,' .. '

tion of this model.
""e 3.2 In summary, the capacity and stiffness of conventional
..... .. -
~ • • (I • • • • •

z wood crib designs are determined primarily by three

LJ' 2.4 9 W
.. ...... factors: (1) the width of the timber; (2) the number of
" ::li!
::li!

--- ---- --- ---

:3o timbers per layer; and (3) the species of wood used in the
d
> 1.6 6 >
"- crib construction. The capacity and stiffness of a crib will
"- KEY Cl

O. .J~ .8
- - - 2x2 conventional crib
- 3x3 conventional crib 3
C\...J be maximized by increasing the width of timber, using
more timbers per layer, and using wood with a larger
....... 4x4 conventional crib
compressive strength and hardness. Crib stiffness is also
o
o 8 16 24 32 40
DISPLACEMENT, cm 6U.S. Department of Agriculture. Mechanical Wood Properties. Sec.
in Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material. Agri. Handb.
Figure g.-Support resistance for conventional, multitimbered 72, 1987, p. 4-3.
oak cribs normalized to wood volume. 7Work cited in footnote 5.
 7

DISPLACEMENT, in
o 2 4 6 8 10
1. 2 r--r--r---.---,.-.--.,....-...,.-.-,-.........---,----,
250
1.0

Z .8
-- -- -- 200 <II
0-
::1!
W
u
0::
.6
//,'
_.
....... ....... --;::...... ---- .---
..- ...... ---- .---.---
...,..~ .--' 150 "'"
w
u
100 0::
f2 .4 ,/y.-=::.~.:.,~:.:~:::::::::::.=::::....... . 0
l1..
'///'::....... 50
.2 ~:'\"
.'
o
o 5 10 15 20 25 30
DISPLACEMENT, cm
KEY
- - Northen red _. - Red maple
oak _ .. - Yellow poplar
- - - - - Yellow birch ............ Lodgepole pine

Figure 10.-Wood crib performance as function of wood

species.

maximized by mlntmlzmg the aspect ratio of the crib

structure. Since these practices also increase construction
costs, tradeoffs must be considered to provide the desired
Figure 11.-Wood crib aspect ratio.
support requirements at minimal employment cost. If
timber costs are directly proportional to the volume of
wood and the desired capacity and stiffness can be costs. Selection of the wood type that has the highest
obtained with 2x2 crib designs, then wider timber compressive strength and hardness when normalized to
utilization should be given priority over the use of more unit timber costs will generally provide optimum crib
timbers per layer since the employment cost for wider construction based on cost and support capacity. For con-
timber installation will be less. From a practical per- ventional crib designs, it is recommended that the aspect
spective, timber widths are limited to 25 cm (10 in) ratio be maintained between 2.5 and 4.3 to maximize crib
because of the weight of the timber and the size of trees stiffness and stability. Cribs constructed with aspect ratios
when they are harvested. Selection of the type of wood below 2.5 generally are not cost effective, and crib stability
depends primarily on the availability of the wood and its is generally degraded for aspect ratios greater than 4.3.

ALTERNATIVE WOOD CRIB DESIGNS

The direction of timber loading in conventional crib cribs from preformed layers (mats) of timber, where short
design as discussed in the preceding section is perpen- blocks are oriented vertically between horizontal timber
dicular to the grain. Since the wood strength is several slabs as depicted in figure 13. Various mat designs and
times greater when loads are applied parallel to the grain, different orientations of the mats provide several possible
the capacity and stiffness of wood cribs can be enhanced crib configurations where the interlayer contact causes a
by orientation of timbers that causes parallel-to-the-grain
combination of parallel- and perpendicular-to-the-grain
timber loading (see figure 12). Table 2 documents the
compressive strength of mine timber for parallel-to-the- loading. A series of full-scale tests were conducted in the
grain loading. USBM's MRS to determine the species of wood, mat
design, and contact configuration best suited to American
HERCULES CRIBS mining conditions. Two species of wood and 13 different
mat configurations were examined in the study.
A South African support trademarked Hercules,B
Tests were conducted using white oak and yellow poplar
marketed by Strata Products (USA) Inc., constructs wood
wood. Figure 14 compares two cribs of the same mat
BReference to specific products does not imply endorsement by the
design constructed from oak and poplar timbers. Oak
U.S. Bureau of Mines. "Hercules" is a registered trademark of Strata provides greater strength and crib capacity, but yellow
Products (USA) Inc. poplar is significantly lighter in weight and is preferred for
 8

mat construction. The graph also shows the reduction in Mat configurations varied from single- and double-mat
crib capacity associated with greater instability at the designs as depicted in figure 15. The double-mat design
higher mining heights. provides significantly greater capacity because of the larger
contact area, but the single-mat design is preferred to
Table 2.-Compresslve strength of mine timbers
for parallel-to-the-graln loading
minimize crib construction time and costs. Eleven single-
mat designs were examined, including several designs
Wood species Compressive strength, where the outer edges of the slab timbers were rounded.
kN/m2 (psi) The load response of Hercules cribs is controlled
Hardwood: primarily by the interlayer contact configuration. Various
Yellow birch .................... . 23,305 (3,380) combinations of block-on-block, slab-on-slab, and block-
Rock elm ......... , ............ . 26,063 (3,780) on-slab contact are possible in the Hercules crib design.
Black locust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46,885 (6,800)
Black maple .................... . 22,546 (3,270)
The desired stiffness and postyield behavior can be at-
Red maple ..................... . 22,615 (3,280) tained by design of the interlayer contact configuration to
Northern red oak ........•........ 23,718 (3,440) accommodate a wide variety of applications.
Pin oak ....................... . 25,373 (3,680)
White oak ......•............... 24,546 (3,560)
Yellow poplar ................... . 18,340 (2,660)
• Block-on-block contact results in columns of end-
Softwood: grain timber (parallel-to-the-grain loading) that enhance
Douglas fir ..................... . 24,891 (3,610) the initial stiffness and capacity of the crib.
Western larch .................. . 30,475 (4,420) • Slab-on-slab contact results in columns of cross-grain
Jack pine ...................... . 20,340 (2,950) timber (perpendicular-to-the-grain loading) with good
Lodgepole pine ................. . 19,719 (2,860)
Ponderosa pine ................. . 19,581 (2,840) yielding characteristics that enhance crib stability.
Tamarack ..................... . 21,581 (3,130) • Block-on-slab contact results in a performance that
is initially similar to slab-on-slab contact. Then as the
cross-grain timber is crushed by the block stresses, the
Perpendicular to grain cross-grain timber confines the block to improve its
stability and post failure behavior.

Figure 16 compares block-on-block. configurations,

where the vertical blocks between mats are aligned directly
above one another to maximize parallel-to-the-grain load-
ing, and block-an-slab configurations, where a portion of
the vertical block surface contacts one or more of the
horizontal timber slabs. Block-an-block configurations
tend to shed load after reaching an ultimate strength (see
figure 16) because of buckling of the crib structure
promoted by instability of the vertical blocks, which act
like a disjointed post. While the instability of the vertical
Parallel to grain

Figure 12.-0Irectlon of loading relative to wood grain orienta-

tion.
DISPLACEMENT, In
12.000°r-_ _2,....5_ _ 5 _-,10,.0_ _. - _ : . , - , 2,700
5 ·0_ _"lr·
r
KEY
Hercules crib height, ft
HERCULES MAT HERCULES CRIB 9,600 -5 2,160
--- 9 en
z Q.
... 7,200 1,620 :i1
W W
~ ~
12 1,080 12
540

o
o 8 16 24 40
L-.;,J~_---"_...!:::::=:::::~Horlzonta I
slabs DISPLACEMENT, cm
Section A-A'
Figure 14.-Comparlson of Hercules cribs constructed from
Figure 13.-Hercules crib constructed from preformed mats. oak and poplar timbers.
 9

blocks is resisted by the horizontal timber slabs, a more The capacity and stiffness of Hercules cribs can be
stable structure is provided by configurations where a increased by increasing the inter layer contact area. Since
portion of the contact surface of the vertical blocks inter- the timber strength is much greater for parallel-to-the-
sects horizontal timber slabs to provide block-on-slab grain loading, increasing the number of vertical blocks
contact. These designs maintain load carrying capability provides 'the greatest increase in crib stiffness and capacity.
through a greater displacement range (see figure 16). The Figure 17 shows the increase in capacity and stiffness
design goal is to maximize stiffness while maintaining caused by increasing the number of vertical blocks from
stability through a displacement range compatible with the four to six in single-mat constructions that employ three
in·-mine convergence. horizontal timber slabs.
Figure 18 shows the effect of using outer timber slabs
Double mol Single mol Single mol with rounded edges in the crib construction. The moti-
4 slobs, 8 blocks 3 slobs, 4 blocks 3 slabs, 4 blocks
vation for using the rounded timbers is that they can be
purchased at less cost. The rounded timbers have less
contact area and are more likely to roll (rotation relative
to the axis along the timber length) than square timbers.
These factors reduce crib stability and degrade crib capac-
ity for rounded timber construction. The reduced capac-
ity occurs mostly during plastic wood oehavior, where the
horizontal slabs help to constrain buckling of the crib
PLAN
structure. Since buckling is more prevalent for block-on-
block contact, cribs with higher percentages of parallel-to-
IlllIOOIIIlIIlIlOOIIIII 1I111f;%31111f?0J1I11I @1f?0J1111~11ID
the-grain loading experience larger reductions in capacity
ELEVATION
with rounded slab timber utilization. Although crib per-
KEY formance is degraded with rounded timber utilization, the
IIIDll Horlzonlal
limber slobs
cost benefit derived from the lower material cost may
~ Verllcol limber blocks
justify the use of rounded timbers.
Figure 15.-Single- and double-mat designs.
DISPLACEMENT,
0 2
2,500 560
DISPLACEMENT, A Square timber slabs
o 2 3 4 5
2,000 i--r-1--r-T--r--=;.....,......;...-r-T-,...;~-i--,-T-,.-:;r-,...., 450 2,000 448

1,600
A ... -... ...... _ ... Square tim ber slabs
11"
I
2
- ...
............. 360 1,500 ,-------..,----- ~
I
336
I KEY I
I Configuration de.crlpllon
1,200 270 1,000 I KEY 224
I - - - Block-an-block
I
I -,3 -g~~~~-f;;;i~~cation I
Mat configuration'
I Block-an-block, pet Block-an-slab, pet 180 I --- 3 slabs, 4 blocks
800 500 112
I Curve 1,50 Curve I, 0 ",-' - 3 slabs, 6 blocks
, Curve 2.34 Curve 2, 17 I/)
, Curve 3,55 Curve 3.0 z
.><
",'"
Q.
400 I Curve 4, 38 Curve 4, 18 90 :>1
z I Curve 5, 29 Curve 5, 18 ~ W 0
u W
~
w 0
~
•
0:: 2;500 560 ~
U W 12 B Rounded timber slabs
0
lJ..
0:: 2,OOO ...--r--r--,--r--,-....-,--,--,-r-.,-..,.-,.-;r-r--r-,..,...., 450 ~ 2,000 448
12 B Rounded timber slabs [2
1,600
3"'--
I ' .......... 360
I ... 1,500 336

1,200
,
,
I
I
4

5
.........
----~...~------__
... ....... 270
1,000
..
I 224
800 ,. ....,., 180
I I
I 500 112
400 I 90
I
I 0
0 5 10 15 20 25
o
o 5 10 15 20 25 DISPLACEMENT, cm
DISPLACEMENT, cm
Figure 17.-Effect of increasing Interlayer contact area and
Figure 16.-Performance comparison of Hercules crib con- percentage of parallel-to-the-grain loading of Hercules cribs by
figurations. increasing number of vertical blocks.
 10

Comparison of the Hercules cribs with conventional carrying capability greater than that of a conventional 3x3
crib designs is shown in figure 19. All conventional cribs crib but less than that of a conventional 4x4 crib.
were constructed from 12.7 by 15 cm (5 by 6 in) (cross 5. The Hercules crib constructed from the three-slab,
section dimensions) oak timbers, and the Hercules cribs four-block rounded timber mat had less load carrying ca-
were single-mat constructions using poplar wood. The pability than a conventional 3x3 crib. The Hercules crib
following observations are made in comparison of single- constructed from the three-slab, six-block rounded timber
mat Hercules crib performance and 2x2, 3x3, and 4x4 mat was similar in load carrying capability to a conven-
conventional crib performance. tional 3x3 crib.

1. The force-displacement behavior for the Hercules From a cost perspective, there is a benefit to using the
cribs is controlled by the contact configuration, but in gen- Hercules crib because of its higher stiffness and capacity
eral is similar to a conventional crib in that a' high initial and more efficient timber utilization in comparison with
stiffness is followed by a lower stiffness after the wood has conventional crib designs. Another advantage of the
yielded. Hercules crib is the reduced labor installation costs
2. The initial stiffness of the Hercules cribs, when the provided by the preformed mat construction. While the
structure is first compressed, is lower than conventional
supporting capabilities of the single-mat Hercules crib
crib designs. This is probably due to the height tolerances
are similar to those of conventional 3x3 hardwood crib
of the vertical blocks causing uneven contact of the hori-
designs, the labor costs for installation are 25 to 30 pet
zontal slabs during crib construction.
3. The Hercules cribs provide greater capacity than less. Installation costs for the Hercules system can be
conventional 2x2 crib designs and less capacity than reduced even further by utilizing prestacked sections of
conventional 4x4 crib designs. several timber mats. The single-mat Hercules cribs also
4. The Hercules crib constructed from the three-slab, employ less wood than a conventional 3x3 crib, providing
four-block mat design with square timbers provided similar a material cost savings as well.
load carrying capability to that of a conventional 3x3 crib.
The Hercules crib constructed from the three-slab, six-
block mat design with square timbers exhibited a load DISPLACEMENT, In
o 2 4 6 8 10 12
4,500 .--..--..--..--..--.......--,-..-,--r-,--,--,--r--,--..--, 1,000
DISPLACEMENT, In A Square timber slabs
3,600 800
o 23456789 ......
2,000 """,,-,---'-..,.--,---,r-r-r-r-;--,--,--.--,-r-,.-,......,....,..., 450
; - - ...
............
A , ..... ... Block- on- block,
... ....... ...prlmory contact
2,700 ............. 600
1,600 ... ....... 360 ....~--------­
1,200
----- 1,800
..'
.'
I
; 400
270
900 200
z
eoo KEY 180 "'"
Timber slab geometry' W
- - - Square u
400 - Rounded 90 ~ 4,500
IJ...
'"
~c. B Rounded timber slabs •••••••• , ••••
O~~--~--~~~~~--~--~~~ 0 ~ 3,600 800
w
lE 2,000 ~--r---.--.-.,-,r"""T--,---,-"T-,........,.--r-r--,--,--r-r...,....., 450
w
lE
..................
........
e B Block- on- slab,
primary contact
e 2,700 600

1,600 360 400

,-------------,
1,200
-------' 270 200

o
800 180 o 8 16 24 32 40
DISPLACEMENT, cm
400 90 KEY
--- 2x2 conventional crib
- 3x 3 conventional crib
o ....... 4 x 4 conventional crib
o 5 10 15 20 25 _.- Hercules crlb- 3 slabs, 4 blocks
DISPLACEMENT, em - •• - Hercules crlb- 3 slabs, 6 blocks

Figure 18.-Effect of rounded timber slabs on Hercules crib Figure 19.-Performance comparison of Hercules cribs to
p'erformance. conventional cribs.
 11

CRIB-POST SUPPORT Comparisons of the CPS with conventional crib designs are
shown in figure 23. The following observations are made.
Another crib configuration that takes advantage of
loading timber parallel to the grain is illustrated in fig- 1. The CPS provides greater load carrying capability
ure 20. Rather than using small blocks of wood as used in than conventional 2x2 and 3x3 cribs.
the Hercules design, full lengths of timber are placed
vertically in the interior of conventional wood crib con- DISPLACEMENT, in
figurations. The vertical timbers act like a post, and the o 2 4 6 e 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
outer horizontal timbers control buckling of the vertical 2.5 r---.-r---.-r----.-r----.---,r--.--r--.--.
timbers while behaving like a conventional crib. Since this 500
configuration combines the best qualities of a post and a 2.0
crib, it is referred to as a "crib-post support" (CPS) .. The 400 II)

CPS concept can also be applied to 3x3 and 4x4 con- z 0-

::E 1.5 :.iG
figurations as illustrated in figure 21. w 300 W
() ()
Full-scale MRS test results of the CPS are shown in a:: a::
fZ 1.0 o
figure 22. The CPS reached maximum load capacity at 200 IJ..
about 18 cm (7 in) of displacement. As the interior tim-
bers (posts) buckled, the crib stiffness decreased slightly .5 100
up to approximately 30 cm (12 in) of displacement.
Beyond 30 cm (12 in) of displacement, the capability of
the exterior timbers to control buckling of the interior o 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 0
timbers diminished, and the crib load capacity decreased. DISPLACEMENT, em

Figure 22.-Test results of crib-post support.

Solid cap of limbers

DISPLACEMENT, In
Horizontal
timbers
A .'
.' "
3,600 .,~' • 0°"· 800

Vertical timbers Z ....... ....

.. ' .. ' II)
0-
Inside box .><
W
2,700
.. ... ",
...... /.-._._.-.
'
600 :;;;
W
fZ~
u
1,800 400 a::
VIEW A-A ....~. fZ
j' -- --
900
-- -- ----- 200

o
Figure 20.-Crib-post support. o 8 16 24 32 40
DISPLACEMENT, em

B
11,200 1,600
o
0..
-" 8,400 .. ' 1,200 ";:
'(;;

g
a:: 5,600 800
(f)
(f)
w
a::
Iii KEY Iii
--- 2 x 2 conventional crib
- 3 x 3 conventional crib
....... 4 x 4 conventional crl b 400
-.- CPS crib
o
o 0.04 0.08 0.12 0.16 0.20
STRAIN, em/em
3X3 CPS 4X4 CPS
Figure 23.-Comparison of crib-post support (CPS) with con-
Figure 21.-Application of crib-post support (CPS) concept to ventional multitimbered. crib configurations. A, Force versus
conventional 3x3 and 4X4 crib configurations. displacement; B, stress versus strain.
, I
12

2. Comparison with a conventional 2x2 wood crib DISPLACEMENT, In

design shows a 200-pct improvement in capacity at 20 cm 6 8 10 12 14
675
(8 in) of displacement with only a 47-pct increase in wood A
utilization for the CPS design. 2,400 540
3. The initial ( clastic) stiffness of the CPS design is VI
0-
also improved to that of a conventional 3x3 crib, which is ?£ 1,800 405 :;;:
230 pct greater than a conventional 2x2 crib. uS
u uS
u
4. Significantly higher stress is developed on the inter- f20:: 1,200 270 0::
layer contact surfaces of the CPS compared with conven- - -- -~-
0
lJ..

tional multitimbered wood crib designs because of the 135

parallel-to-the-grain contact employed in the CPS.
o
o 16 24 8
32 40
Figure 24A compares a conventional 2x2 oak crib, DISPLACEMENT, em
single-mat Hercules cribs with rounded timbers, and the 14,OOO,---r-r-y-=;;O:;;;::::::':;;:::::C:-r-r--r-, 2,000
CPS. Conclusions drawn from these comparisons are B
summarized as follows. 11,200 1,600
c
a.
8,400
...... 'iii

................ ....... :.
1. The Hercules cribs and CPS provide much greater .>< 1,200 ':
support capability than a conventional 2x2 wood crib. g /-1.::-..:.<.-.~ I ~
0:: 5,600 I :1 800 0::
2. The CPS provides the largest load resistance of all KEY tn
tn II :.
jI--- 2x2 conventional
cribs with approximately 2,300 kN (517 kips) of load
capacity developed at approximately 15 cm (5.9 in) of I
I
I
r- ..
Y .......
CPS
crib
Hercules crlb- 3 slabs 6 blocks 400
I : -.- Hercules crlb- 3 slabs: 4 blocks
displacement. 'I.
o
3. The capacities of the Hercules cribs and the CPS are o 0.04 0.08 0.12 0.1 is 0.20
closest at 8 cm (3.1 in) of displacement: (1) 1,700 kN STRAIN, em/em
(382 kips) for the Hercules three-slab, six-block crib; Figure 24.-Comparlson of conventional 2x2 crib, single-mat
(2) 1,575 kN (354 kips) for the CPS; and (3) 1,275 kN Hercules cribs with rounded timbers, and crib-post support
(287 kips) for the Hercules three-slab, four-block crib. At (CPS). A, Force versus displacement; a, stress versus strain.
I displacements larger than 15 cm (approximately 6 in), the
I CPS capacity is greater than that of the Hercules cribs, but Hercules cribs, and labor costs for installation of the
i the support structure is less stable. Hercules cribs are substantially less. Therefore, the single-
mat Hercules cribs generally can be employed at less cost
I Figure 24B compares the support resistance normalized than the CPS, assuming the Hercules mat construction
!' to contact area to show stress-strain development for a cost is not the limiting cost factor.
conventional crib, single-mat Hercules cribs, and the CPS.
The stress development at the interlayer contact surfaces Table 3.-Comparlson of contact configurations for cribs
is similar for the conventional 2x2 crib and the Hercules documented In figure 24, percent
single-mat cribs. The CPS developed significantly higher
Contact config- 2x2 Crib- Hercules Hercules
stress than the Hercules cribs and conventional crib
uratlon (grain conven- post 3-slab, 3-slab,
designs. This is due to the greater percentage of parallel- orientation) tional support 4-block 6-block
to-the-grain loading in the CPS as shown in table 3.
Perpendicular-to-
. Like the Hercules cribs, there is a cost benefit to using perpendicular •.... 100 55 44 28
the CPS because of the higher stiffness and load sup- Perpendlcular-to-
porting capacity in comparison with conventional crib parallel ••••• I ' " 0 0 18 47
designs. The CPS uses more wood than the single-mat Parallel-to-parallel ... 0 45 38 35

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Too much attention is frequently given to the capacity cribs should develop sufficient capacity within a displace-
of mine roof supports without recognition of the stiffness ment that will prevent roof failure to provide safe and
of the support structure. It is the development of the effective ground control. As environmental regulations
support capacity that is crucial to ground control. Wood and the supply of wood cause further increases in the cost
-~I
13

I
of mine timber, more efficient designs of wood supports parallel-to-the-grain timber loading have been examined in
i will be required. Only one-third of the wood in the con- this report. One concept, the Hercules crib, utilizes small
I ventional two-timber-per-Iayer crib design contributes to
. ! blocks of timber placed upright between horizontal slabs .
,
\
the load bearing capacity of the crib. Hence, efforts to Another concept, the CPS, places full lengths of timbers
maximize stiffness in relation to the volume of wood in the interior of a conventional crib to combine the best
utilized in the crib construction should be a design priority. qualities of a post and conventional wood crib. Hercules
Conventional wood crib stiffness and material utilization cribs constructed from single-mat poplar wood and the
can be improved by increasing the interlayer contact area. CPS constructed from conventional hardwood timbers
This can be accomplished by employing wider timbers or provide support capability similar to conventional hard-
using more timbers per layer. Wider timbers will gen- wood 3x3 crib designs. The Hercules cribs are more flex-
erally provide the more cost-effective solution since the ible in design, with several thousand permutations pos-
labor costs for employment will be less. For practical sible. Strata Products (USA) Inc. provides computerized
purposes and material handling, timber width is limited to engineering of the Hercules design to specific mining
about 25 cm (10 in). conditions. A primary advantage of the Hercules crib is
Crib stiffness and capacity can also be enhanced by the reduced labor installation costs provided by the pre-
using wood with a higher compressive strength and hard- formed mat construction. The CPS is limited in design,
ness. The decision to use a higher strength wood is gen- particularly relative to mining height, since full-length
erally based on timber cost and weight. Selection of the timbers are used to establish parallel-to-the-grain loading.
wood type that has the highest compressive strength and Its major advantage is the more efficient use of conven-
hardness when normalized to unit timber costs will gen- tional wood crib timbers.
erally provide the optimum crib construction. Oak timbers In addition to improving ground control, crib designs
are frequently used in conventional crib designs in the that maximize crib stiffness and capacity and optimize
eastern United States, while pine is frequently used in timber utilization can also provide a cost savings. If the
western mines where hardwoods are not available. More unit costs are higher, the employment cost savings will be
efficient crib designs, such as those discussed in the report, dependent on the capability to space the cribs farther
permit the use of lower strength timbers to achieve the apart, which requires sufficiently competent roof to span
desired crib stiffness and capacity. between supports. Hence, the cost benefit will be maxi-
Crib designs that provide parallel-to-the-grain timber mized when the alternative support systems can be spaced
loading will provide even greater improvements in crib at distances commensurate with their increased stiffness
stiffness and material utilization. Two concepts that utilize and capacity.
 14

APPENDIX.-WOOD CRIB PERFORMANCE MODEL

A model to predict the force-displacement behavior of or Ep = 4.45 x HARDNESS - 1,400

various wood crib designs has been developed by the
USBM. The model is based on full-scale testing of wood (without overhang), (A-3b)
cribs in the USBM's MRS. The information required to
apply the model is as follows: (1) the species of wood; where Ep modulus of plasticity, psi,
(2) the compressive strength and hardness of the wood;
(3) the dimensions of the timbers; (4) the number of and HARDNESS wood hardness, lb.
layers in structure; (5) the number of timbers per layer;
and (6) whether the crib is to be constructed with or 4. Determine the plastic stiffness of a single timber by
without overhanging timbers. Application of the model is multiplying the area of a single interlayer contact by the
a step-by-step process. modulus of plasticity and dividing by the timber thickness.

1. Determine the interlayer contact area by multiplying Ep X AREA 3

the area per contact by the number of contacts per layer. THICKNESS x 10- (A-4)
The area per contact generally equals the square of the
width of the timber, and the number of contacts per layer where ~ = plastic stiffness of mine timber,
equals the square of the number of timbers per layer.
kip/in,

AREA Layer = AREAeontact X CONTACTS, (A-I) Ep = modulus of plasticity of mine

timber, psi,
where AREA Layer interlayer contact area, in 2,
AREA area per contact, in 2,
AREAContact area per contact, in 2,
and THICKNESS timber thickness, in.
and CONTACTS number of contacts per layer.
5. Determine the stiffness of the crib structure during
2. Multiply the interlayer contact area by the compres- plastic deformation by multiplying the number of contacts
sive strength of the wood species to determine the com- per layer by the timber stiffness and dividing by the
pressive strength coefficient. number of layers as described in equation A-5. The
number of contacts per layer equals the square of the
A = STRENGTH X AREA Layer X 10-3 , (A-2) number of timbers per layer.

where A = compressive strength coefficient, tK x CONTACTS

kips,
K = --:=--:-::-:0::::::::-:::-----
PLAYERS
(A-5)

STRENGTH compressive strength of wood, stiffness of crib structure during

where
~
psi, plastic deformation, kip/in,

~ and AREALayer = interlayer contact area, in2. ~ timber stiffness, kip/in,

~ 3. Determine the modulus of plasticity for the wood CONTACTS number of contacts per layer,
using the wood hardness (table 1) in equation A-3a or
A-3b, depending on the overhang condition. and LAYERS = number of layers in crib.

Ep = 4.63 x HARDNESS - 1,060 6. Determine the adjustment factors for height, per-
centage of timber contact area, aspect ratio, and construc-
(with overhang), (A-3a) tion without overhanging timbers. These factors reduce
 15

the performance of the crib when certain thresholds are where AR aspect ratio,
exceeded as described below. A value of 1.0 is used when
crib performance is not significantly affected by these HEIGHT height of crib, in,
parameters.
OVERHANG overhang distance, in,
Height Factor (HTFCT)
TL timber length, in,
HTFCT = 1.62 - 0.0117 x Crib Height. (A-6)
and TW timber width, in.
Percentage of Timber Contact Area Factor (PCTFCT)
Overhanging Timber Construction Factor (OHFCT)
PCTFCT = 0.9 when AREApct ~ 55, (A-7a)
OHFCT = 0.9 when construction is without overhanging
PCTFCT =1 when AREApct < 55, (A-7b) timbers, (A-lla)

AREA OHFCT = 1 when construction is with overhanging

-::::-::::-:-::=-:-L-:::aY,=e=r X TIMBERS
AREApct _C_O_N_T_A-::C=T:-:-S---,=-_ _- x 100, (A-8a)
TW x TL timbers, (A-llb)

TW x TIMBERS 7. The crib force-displacement relationship is deter-

AREApct = TL x 100, (A-8b), mined from equation A-12 .

where ARE~ct pct of timber contact area, pct, . FCrib = Ax OHFCTx PCTFCTx (1- e-(HTFCf)X (0»

AREA Layer interlayer contact area, in 2, + PCTFCT x ARFCT x Kp x 0, (A-12)

CONTACTS number of contacts per layer, where F Crib crib resistance, kips,
TIMBERS number of timbers per layer, A compressive strength coefficient,
kips,
TW timber width, in,
Kp plastic stiffness coefficient, kip jin,
and TL timber length, in.
displacement, in,
Aspect Ratio Factor (ARFCT)
HTFCT height factor,
ARFCT = 2.41 - (0.33 x AR) when AR ~ 4.3, (A-9a)
OHFCT overhanging timber factor,
ARFCT = 1 when AR < 4.3, (A-9b)
PCTFCT percentage of contact area factor,
HEIGHT
AR (A-lO)
TL - 2 (Overhang) - TW' and ARFCT aspect ratio factor.

I
,

INT,BU.OF MINES,PGH.,PA 29873