Plywood Fobricotor Service Celebrotes First Successful Yeor

Progress of Gomponents

Reviewed ot PFS Meeiing

Developments in component fabrication and desigl, including a new concept in lowcost service buildings, were unveiled recently as members of Plywood Fabricator Service, Inc., evaluated the organization's first year of operation. PFS was launched in 1959 by the Douglas Fir Plywood Asso-

Archltects Interested

The potential for the industry was reappraised by Stanley A. Taylor, DFPA field promotion director. He said a recent survey of. 457L architects, taken during personal calls by his 80-man sta^ff, resulted in 569 requests for bids on current jobs.

A substantial number of sales were made, Taylor said, although the survey was so recent that a complete evaluation of its results was not available yet.

Of the total contacted, Taylor said 85% were interested in components.

Another feature of the meeting was the completion of loading tests on Trofdek, a new light weight, low cost component for use over long clear spans.

Versatile Bulliling Deslgn

This component, which will be available through PFS members, was tested over a 40-foot clear span with a design load of nents, is adaptable to nearly 500 building types.

The delta frame itself resembles an Aframe with dihedral wings. The span of the cantilevered wings can be varied and the building can be enclosed or open, or a combination.

For Clrcular Plans

"We've tried to produce something with a wide variety of uses that can be produced quickly at a reasonable cost and still deliver an attractive appearance," Waring said. "Nearly every other stock design in this fleld is nothing more tlran a box, with limited choice of conventional roof lines."

Delta frame components will be produced by PF'S members and the flrst building using this system already is in the planning stage, he said.

The frames can be used in either square or rectang'ular buildings or in circular plans.

An announcement by Thomas E. Batey, Jr., chief of product research for DFPA, indicated another major hurdle in component construction has nearly been cleared.

Glimpse Into Future

"We expect to have tlte problem of permanent, both shop and field-applied, coat- to provide quality supervision and control, fabrication and desigrr assistance, research and promotional help to the fastgrowing building component industry.

This first annual meeting drew 33 representatives of PF S member fabricators to Tacoma, Wash,, for two days of presentations dealing with new information developed through research by PFS and its parent organization.

Nearly-completed research in plywood geode.sic domes was reviewed and a construction method called a "delta frame" was revealed by its designer, DFPA staff architect Robert Waring.

Other new material included joint treatments for stressed skin panel construction; results of research on sandwich panels; test data on a new, low-cost kingpost truss; applications for a "cathedral" box beam; recent work concerning folded plates; the development of permanent coatings for prefinishing components, and methods of caulking exposed roof joints.

Thirty-three reDresentatives of component fabricators from all over the united States make up part of the audience hearinc Trofdek described by Daniel H. Brown, chief 0f aoplieii research for the Dbuglas Fir Plywood Associatidn. Trofdek ls a new lightweight, low-cost engine€red building component designed for use over spans of up to 50 ieet. Brown is showing model sections for various sDans to the fabricators, who came to Tacoma, Wash., for tie annual meeting of Plywood Fabricator Service, lnc. The row of iacks behind Brorvn cover a sample panel 0f Trofdek in a testing machine and were used to exert pressure during load testing. The sample here failed at 123y2 pounds per square foot over a 40-f00t span, more than four times design load.

40 pounds per square foot, live and dead load combined. It failed at f'23y2 pounds per square foot, more than three times the combined design load and more than four times the live design load of 30 psf.

Waring described his delta frame as an attempt to provide a building design with a wide variety of uses in all sizes of service buildings. The frame, in combination with stressed skin panels and other compo- ance with anything now on the market. The ffnal step, Batey said, is to bring down the cost of finishing materials that have performed satisfactorily under test,

David R. Countryman, manager of research engineering for DF PA, gave the PF'S members a glimpse into the future with discussions of geodesic domes and new developments in sandwich panels with foamed-in-place cores.

"The stressed skin panels you are producing now are today's answer," Countryman said. "But we think the future of the building panel lies in some type of foamedin core." Countryman gave details on two systems, requiring varying amounts of capital outlay to use. He said methods are being sought now to bring down the cost of eore materials.

The folded plate roof, particularly where stressed skin panels are used in its construction, is being widely adopted, Daniel H. Brown, DF PA applied research chief, told the group. He gave a report on new investigations in this field, and described the development aJld application of the new cathedral box beam.

Both mechanical and chemical joints were diseussed. Caulking compounds and methods of application were demonstrated, along with new techniques for treating the junctions of stressed skin panels.

Building Moteriql Men Nqme

Art Reyso 'Msn of the Yeqr'

Ttre Southern California building material men, more than 300 strong in Los Angeles, selected Art Reysa, territory sales repre-

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