Loading rate effects on MOE and MOR distributions in testing of small clear beech wood specimens

Abstract

Distributions of the modulus of elasticity (MOE) and modulus of rupture (MOR) were characterized at three loading rates for small clear beech specimens in static bending. The correlation between MOE and MOR for all three loading rates was significant, but it weakened with increasing load rates. The analysis of the characteristics of empirical distributions, as well as the preliminary selection of the theoretical distributions for MOE and MOR, were performed on the basis of L-moments and L-moment diagrams. According to the standard for testing small specimens, MOE and MOR are determined as the arithmetic mean of the sample. Usage of the arithmetic mean is justified when the analyzed quantity is symmetrically distributed. It was found that the distribution of MOE and MOR is not always symmetric. The loading rate influences the shapes of the MOE and MOR empirical distributions, and consequently the choice of theoretical distribution. The general extreme value distribution stood out as the best one for both MOE and MOR, regardless of the loading rate, and the second overall ranked distribution is the three-parameter Weibull distribution. The loading rate affected the value of the fifth percentile in MOR, when determined from both the empirical and theoretical distributions.