Enables fast construction
Large free span with less material consumption
More adaptability for space with less load-bearing walls or beams
Easy to connect from the top slab
Element production in controlled conditions
Due to its stiffness, Kerto LVL is a smart material to use as a beam or a panel in your floor construction. The product offers the contractor, off-site builder, developer and architect a variety of benefits including design flexibility, efficient off-site construction and rapid installation. You may be planning residential housing, multi-storey building, office, school or retail, we are confident that you can make it with LVL.
Depending on your project-specific requirements (e.g. type of building and associated loads, serviceability criteria) several options can generally be envisaged to span over floor length, indicatively from shorter to longer: massive slabs, joisted floors or ribbed panels. All these systems are in principle compatible with any kind of support, be it timber, steel or concrete.
As per Q&A #1, the preferred option for massive slabs is Kerto LVL-Q or L panel. They are available from 21 to 75 mm thickness, and can be very accurately optimized for short spans or multi-span slabs, such as slabs upon floor joists or roof beams.
For joisted floors of intermediate spans (as of 5m and up to 7 m), Kerto LVL S-beam is the right choice: its outstanding strength and stiffness mechanical properties allow an optimal material consumption.
We offer various possibilities for the design, depending on the phase of your project, the required accuracy and your skills in the design of Engineered Wood Products: for predesign, you may be interested in our Span tables, which give good indications for different systems and is applicable in many European countries. For more accurate results, our software Finnwood software can be freely downloaded and installed, and the online support is available through our website. You can also be in touch with local Engineering Offices for final calculations.
The floor vibration is a known challenge in the design of Timber-based floors: The verification of joist floor is described in Eurocode 5 (EN 1995-1-1:2004.)This method is however not well fitted for slab-type floors, nor ribbed floors since the transverse stiffness can play a significant role. For the Kerto-Ripa® floors, our design instructions developed along with the technology may be used (contact us via contact Metsä Wood)
The fire performance is generally described with a triple criteria of Resistance (R), Integrity (E) and Insulation (I), set as per a duration expressed in minutes (e.g. 30, 60 or 90’).
The verification should be carried out according to Eurocode 5 (NF 1995-1-2) and the National Annexes. Additional information may also be found in the LVL Handbook.
The acoustic performance lies mostly on diverse layers added either above, within or below the timber structural element of the floor, e.g. concrete or dry screed above, eventually on a resilient layer, or plasterboard layers below, with or without insulation between the joists. We recommend here to contact a specialist of Acoustics to assess the floor performances.
Wooden floor elements based on Kerto-Ripa® design system, are ideal for intermediate floors with spans between 5 and 10m and it can also reach longer spans up to 15m. Made from Kerto LVL they can have open (T-element) or closed (Box) construction and be insulated to the client´s exact requirements.
The element consists of structurally glued Kerto LVL components that make it possible to build projects with very rigid floor structures. The certified gluing technology allows to make elements even to very large spans. Accessible roofs, cantilevers, integrated installations, top slab connection and other configurations are also possible according to customer specification.
These efficient and hollow elements are produced under controlled environment in factories and are delivered with CE-mark by certified partners. Imagine an element that can handle bracing, sound, fire, installations, saving height. Kerto-Ripa elements allow for thinner structures, constructions with 50% less material, and a reduction in weight.
