Creep Behavior Of Wood Research Articles

Effects of temperature-induced strain on creep behavior of wood–plastic composites

To investigate the effect of fluctuating temperatures on the creep strain of wood–plastic composites, a full-scale, long-term creep test was conducted in an unconditioned environment. However, the effect of elevating temperature caused unexpected additional increases in strain. In this study, the previously developed stress–temperature incorporated creep model and the proposed temperature-induced strain superposition method were employed in combination. The temperature-induced additional strain was successfully simulated, indicating that the creep test under an ambient environment could successfully simulate long-term creep with increasing temperatures. This approach and the concept can be applied to comparable future studies.

Creep behavior of wood under cyclic moisture changes: interaction between load effect and moisture effect

Load and moisture content (MC) changes are the essential conditions for the mechano-sorptive (MS) creep of wood. An experiment was carried out on poplar to comprehend the mechano-sorptive creep from our point view. To restore the truth of MS creep behavior especially in the first humidifying stage, three well-matched sets of specimens were loaded in third-point bending under different humidity cycles. For each set, the applied load varied from 15 to 35 % of the short-term breaking load. It was found that the wood specimens exhibited a partial recovery during all the adsorption phase and deflection increase during all the desorption phase when low load level was applied. This phenomenon was very different from that a considerable creep at first adsorption observed by large amounts of researchers, which can be ascribed to the pseudo-creep due to the difference in the normal longitudinal swelling and shrinkage of wood. The results also indicated that an amplified load effect existed within the creep under cyclic moisture changes, which usually resulted in a fast increasing rate of viscoelastic creep to veil pseudo-recovery in the first humidifying stage.

Creep behaviour of HDPE/wood particle composites

The effect of particle type, size, content and manufacturing process on the creep behaviour of wood particles/High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) composites has been investigated. Short-term creep tests at different temperatures were carried out and modelled using the Burger's model and the Findley power law. The creep of the composites was found to increase with temperature due to the mobility of the amorphous bulk and tie HDPE molecules. Increased wood particle content generally decreased the creep level. Jack pine composites exhibited the highest creep reduction due to the chemical composition of the fibres surface and the efficiency of adhesion mechanism between fibres and the HDPE. Injection and compression processes led to better creep behaviour than the extrusion process due to differences in the composites microstructures. Particle size did not show important impacts on the creep properties. Findley power law led to better prediction of long time creep behaviour of the composites.

Cantilever experimental setup for rheological parameter identification in relation to wood drying

Wood exhibits a pronounced time dependent deformation behavior which is usually split into ‘viscoelastic’ creep at constant moisture content (MC) and ‘mechano-sorptive’ creep in varying MC conditions. Experimental determination of model rheological parameters on a material level remains a serious challenge, and diversity of experimental methods makes published results difficult to compare. In this study, a cantilever experimental setup is proposed for creep tests because of its close analogy with the mechanical behavior of wood during drying. Creep measurements were conducted at different load levels (LL) under controlled temperature and humidity conditions. Radial specimens of white spruce wood [Picea glauca (Moench.) Voss.] with dimensions of 110 mm in length (R), 25 mm in width (T), and 7 mm in thickness (L) were used. The influence of LL and MC on creep behavior of wood was exhibited. In constant MC conditions, no significant difference was observed between creep of tensile and compressive faces of wood cantilever. For load not greater than 50% of the ultimate load, the material exhibited a linear viscoelastic creep behavior at the three equilibrium moisture contents considered in the study. The mechano-sorptive creep after the first sorption phase was several times greater than creep at constant moisture conditions. Experimental data were fitted with numerical simulation of the global rheological model developed by authors for rheological parameter identification.

The variable parameter rheological model of wood

How to establish the rheological model to simulate creep behavior of wood and wood-based composites under change-load has not been solved in research of wood rheology. This paper presents a new model—variable parameter rheological model. The bending creep behavior of small clear poplar specimens under different constant load levels were examined. The load levels within 50% of rupture load of the specimens, and the experimental creep behavior were simulated by the variable parameter Maxwell model. The results show that using only one model of variable parameters may simulate the creep behavior of wood under different constant load levels very well. Applying the generalized Boltzmann’s superposition principle, the variable parameter rheological model can be used to simulate the creep behavior of wood under change-loads conveniently and accurately.

Analysis of creep of wood during water adsorption based on the excitation response theory

The creep behavior of wood during water adsorption was mathematically analyzed based on the excitation response theory. The creep changeϕ u (t), obtained by subtracting an instantaneous complianceJ u (0) from a creep complianceJ u (t), was linear in terms of moisture content at a steady state of moisture and was separable into two functions of time and moisture content. The creep compliance, however, was nonlinear. The creep change during water adsorption was obtained by applying the excitation-response theory to the creep change in a steady state of moisture. The equation was formally equal to the results reported so far. By using the derived equations, it was theoretically proved that the change in creep compliance during water adsorption from moisture contentu0 tou1 is always greater than the difference between creep compliance atu0 and that at u, in the steady state.