Novel experimental approach for longitudinal-radial stiffness characterisation of clear wood by a single test

Abstract

Abstract Experimental results obtained from maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.) wood are presented for the characterisation of all LR=(1,2) orthotropic stiffness parameters of clear wood specimens by a single test. The approach relies on application of the virtual field method (VFM) to a rectangular specimen loaded in the Iosipescu fixture. The displacement field over the gauge surface of the specimen is measured by the grid method. Two configurations are investigated: (1) with grain aligned along the specimen length (0° configuration) and (2) with grain at 45°. For the 0° configuration, only the parameters Q 11 and Q 66 are correctly identified, with coefficients of variation of the same order of magnitude as those obtained from reference tensile and shear tests. Better identification is obtained for the 45° configuration, for which only the parameter Q 12 exhibits large scatter. This improvement results from a more balanced influence of all stiffness parameters on the response of the 45° specimen. However, all stiffness parameters identified were systematically underestimated by approximately 30% in comparison to reference values. This deviation is due to the vertical spatial variation of the mechanical properties of wood within the stem. Literature data confirm this interpretation.