Abstract
The paper presents a novel concept and a prototype of a diagnostic tool for in-situ assessment of timber in existing structures and buildings. The device enables direct determination of conventional compressive strength and modulus of deformation in arbitrary depth along timber profile. The measurement of the stress-deformation relationship is performed in a prepared hole of a very small diameter by means of a special small size symmetrical loading jack. Testing and verification of the new device behaviour during loading of wood along the fibres has been carried out on fir which is the most frequent wood species in European buildings. The comparison of stress-strain diagrams acquired by means of the new device with those measured in compliance with the European standard for testing of wood shows a very good correlation including the determination of the compressive strength values. This semi-destructive method causes a very gentle damage and can be also used for the assessment of historic timber structures.
Highlights
A number of up-to-date in-situ diagnostic devices and methods use drilling for the description of behaviour and properties of a material
The corresponding parameters are gained from the radial core (5 mm in diameter), which is taken from a wooden element
The values gained by this measuring are compared with the corresponding data for the particular wood species in tables that are included in the device accessories
Summary
A number of up-to-date in-situ diagnostic devices and methods use drilling for the description of behaviour and properties of a material. Analogical devices are produced for the testing of inorganic materials, especially stone and mortar. Another alternative for the description of behaviour and properties of wood is a mechanical measuring device that measures fracture strength and compressive strength in bending along the fibres of radial cores [3]. The corresponding parameters are gained from the radial core (5 mm in diameter), which is taken from a wooden element. The range of NDT (non-destructive technique) and MDT methods missed a solution enabling measuring of mechanical properties at various depths of an investigated wooden constructional element
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