Random imperfection fields to model the size effect in laboratory wood specimens

Abstract

The composite nature of a wood continuum prevents one from extrapolating the results of laboratory tests on standard wood specimens to structural elements of significant size. Therefore, these elements are usually tested under standardized loading conditions in order to detect a sort of average material behaviour. In this paper, the initial step consists, instead, of testing the material specimens. The extension of the results to structural elements is then pursued by introducing a random field, or, in a discretized model, a random array of imperfections. The calibration of the suitable spatial distribution of the imperfections is then investigated by a mixed experimental–numerical approach, for a reference beam. The analyses on the relative finite elements model are iterated to match the response of the full scale laboratory tests.