Compressive Strength parallel to grains of Charred Paulownia Wood

Abstract

Wood is a common flammable in the building fire and the dominant fuel in the wildland fire. In this study, the surface of wood specimens has been pre-heated by various radiative heat fluxes and heating times to achieve varying char layer thicknesses. The compressive strength parallel to grains versus various charring thicknesses has been obtained by an electronic universal testing machine (WDW-20). Experimental results demonstrate that a higher heat flux and longer heating times promote the formation of the char layer, but the compressive strength versus the charring thickness first decreases to its minimum value and subsequently remains stable. For the 7 kW/m2 case, there is a rapid decrease in compressive strength for the 5-7 heating period. For example, the compressive strength is 31.7 MPa after the initial 5-minute period, and 3.69 MPa after the initial 7-minute period. For the radiative heat fluxes from 7 kW/m2 to 10 kW/m2, the reduction rate of compressive strength will increase from 1.32 MPa/min to 3.75 MPa/min for the initial 5-minute period, and increase from 4.95 MPa/min to 5.34 MPa/min for the initial 7-minute heating period. This study helps us understand the influence of charring processes on the mechanical properties of wood and the failure of timber structures.