How Dunscar Timber Glulam Is Helping Engineer Bridges for Disaster Relief Zones
A Salford University Research Case Study
When Salford University’s engineering team approached us about supplying glulam beams for a disaster relief bridge project, it wasn’t for a roof or a porch. They were designing a glulam footbridge intended to save lives in disaster zones — and they needed timber engineered to precise specifications they could push to the absolute limit. We were proud to be part of it.
The Project
Researchers at Salford University are developing a Vierendeel U-frame footbridge specifically designed for deployment in disaster relief situations. The concept is as ambitious as it is simple: a timber bridge that can be transported piece-by-piece from a standard shipping container, assembled by non-technical volunteers using nothing more than a hammer and a spanner, and capable of spanning rivers and crossings in areas where infrastructure has been destroyed. There are no cranes. No specialist contractors. No complex equipment. Just engineered timber, bolted connections, and people who need to get across
Assembly underway — the bridge sections being lifted and positioned using a chain hoist in the university’s testing facility
Glulam Specification
Dunscar Timber Engineering supplied the Glulam sections at the heart of the project, manufactured to precise dimensions for a bolted connection system designed to be assembled entirely by hand:
The bolted connection system — designed to be assembled by non-technical volunteers using only a hammer and spanner
The Testing
This wasn’t a theoretical exercise. The university team subjected the glulam to rigorous structural testing using professional-grade engineering equipment, including a Zwick/Roell testing machine — the same type of equipment used in aerospace and civil engineering research worldwide. Individual glulam members were tested in the Zwick/Roell machine to establish their structural properties. Separate load tests were also conducted on the bolted connection system and on glulam sections reinforced with basalt fibre bars — an innovative timber reinforcement method being evaluated as part of the wider research programme.
Individual Glulam sections under test in the Zwick/Roell testing machine — the same equipment used in aerospace structural research
Full-scale load testing — strain gauges and sensors monitor the beam’s performance under increasing load
The results speak for themselves. In the first test of just two Vierendeel panels spanning 3.0 metres, the structure supported 70kN — approximately 7 tonnes of load — before reaching failure. The full-scale load test was equally successful.
70kN — 7 Tonnes. Supported by two glulam panels spanning 3.0 metres
Tested to its absolute limit — this is what it took to break the glulam. The dramatic failure under extreme compressive load confirms the material’s exceptional performance up to that point
Why Glulam?
Glulam — glued laminated timber — is one of the most structurally efficient materials available to engineers. Its strength-to-weight ratio, dimensional stability, and ability to be manufactured to bespoke sizes make it ideally suited to projects where performance, transportability, and precision all matter.
The fact that it can be bolted rather than welded, and cut to size without specialist machinery, makes it uniquely appropriate for the humanitarian context this project demands. It is strong, predictable, renewable, and — crucially — accessible.
Working with Dunscar Timber Engineering
At Dunscar Timber Engineering, we manufacture Glulam beams, feature trusses, oak structures, Posi-joists and engineered timber products from our workshop in Bolton. We supply contractors, architects, self-builders, and — as this project shows — research institutions pushing the boundaries of what timber can do. We are ISO9001 accredited, TRA members, and offer free quotes within 1 working day with typical lead times of 10–15 days. If you have a project that requires engineered timber to precise specifications, we would be glad to talk. Request a free quote at dunscartimber.co.uk
