Abstract
The strength of wood is reduced when the stressed volume is increased. The phenomenon is termed size effect and is often explained as being stochastic in the sense that the probability of weak locations occurring in the wood increases with increased volume. This paper presents the hypothesis that the lower strength is caused by stress concentrations. The stress concentrations arise from the anisotropic structure of wood, and are therefore deterministic. The hypothesis is substantiated through extensive FEM-calculations and experiments. A reasonable agreement between ultimate stresses determined experimentally and in FEM-computations was found.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Journal | Wood Science and Technology |
Volume | 41 |
Issue number | 4 |
Pages (from-to) | 361-372 |
ISSN | 0043-7719 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2007 |
Keywords
- Timber
- Size-Effect
- Weibull's Weakest Link
- Weak elemnts
- Stress Volume
- Fracture Mechanics