zemeunvalsts.lv introductory note. The Wood Central article came to our attention at the same time as a pointed commentary in the newspaper Diena*. To paraphrase what the two pieces say when read together, one has to conclude that in many industries and fields in Latvia there are plenty of good, professional people who know their subject thoroughly and are able to work with tomorrow in mind. At the same time, to quote a well-known folk song, alongside the sector's professionals there are many who “stand at the edge” and thresh empty straw, whose main task is to restrict something, to forbid it or to “take no hurry”. We can argue – about what to call it – incompetence, deliberate obstruction, obstinacy, foolishness (and so on), but in the present situation it is neither normal nor safe to grumble about a lack of money for important national needs while at the same time devoting great effort to ensuring that the state (which means all of us) receives ever less of the funding required for those very needs. Latvia's forest sector and the industries connected with it should not have to spend time and other resources explaining, and explaining again, the place of these sectors in the national economy. If someone does not understand it, there are educational seminars, there is the Latvian Forest Programme, there are studies at the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, and there are people who will gladly advise. Ignorance is one thing; deliberate sabotage is another. The two should be told apart. Full stop.
In mid-March, the leadership of the engineering divisions of the US Army and Navy met members of a subcommittee of the US House of Representatives.
Army and Navy barracks could in future be “printed” on a 3D printer or built using “increasingly competitive” CLT (cross-laminated timber), according to Dave Morrow (Dave Morrow), Director of Military Programs at the Army Corps of Engineers, and Keith Hamilton (Keith Hamilton), Chief Engineer at the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, who addressed lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
These statements came a few days after the White House ordered a national security investigation into timber imports under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, given the military sector's reliance on the volume of timber used in its projects.
In addition to timber and 3D printing, D. Morrow and K. Hamilton noted that the US Army and Navy are also testing high-performance cement and concrete mixes, geosynthetics, composite materials, industrialised construction, wire fabric structures and carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers, in order to deliver military projects as cost-effectively as possible using durable, innovative materials.
“In an increasingly complex global security environment, our commitment to innovation in military construction is not only about building and structures, but also about the resilience and readiness our armed forces need in order to prevail over a potential adversary. By working with industry to harness these advances, we can provide our military with more resilient, more sustainable and more cost-effective infrastructure, ensuring that taxpayers' money is used efficiently while equipping our soldiers with the best facilities and engineering structures in the world.”
Dave Morrow said that the Army is already using 3D printing on three projects (at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida and at Fort Bliss in Texas). The method is well suited to garrison settings and to expeditionary needs: “This type of construction has the potential to reduce cost, labour, logistics and time, while also “opening the door” to improved and novel applications, such as non-traditional measures.”
Last year Wood Central interviewed Kevin Naranjo, National Program Manager for mass timber in the US Forest Service's Wood Innovations Program, who reported that tests by the US Department of Defense had shown – that cross-laminated timber (CLT) is “blast-resistant” under intense fire.
In Hampton Roads, Virginia, engineer Keith Hamilton noted that the US Navy is trialling the use of CLT in the construction of a child development centre. In his report, K. Hamilton said that the building will use a hybrid mass timber external envelope of cross-laminated walls and diaphragms: “The Department of Defense has clearly recognised the applicability of CLT by developing specific guidance and a specification.”
K. Hamilton briefed the House Defense Subcommittee on the potential for mass timber to replace concrete structures: “As the CLT construction industry develops, CLT can become more competitive and could be used more widely in Department of Defense construction projects.”
Dave Morrow stressed that the US Army is already using mass timber on a range of projects. The US Army Corps of Engineers is a world leader with a “first of its kind” materials policy that prioritises cross-laminated timber, other forms of glued timber and laminated veneer products: “We recently completed an Army barracks project. The barracks are built mainly from mass timber structural elements. We invite you to look at the construction project at Mountain Home Air Force Base in the US. Mass timber structures are to be used in the building process,” adding that the use of mass timber structures could also shorten construction schedules.
* https://www.diena.lv/raksts/viedokli/dienaskomentars/parsteidzosa-atklasme-14333169