Assessment of old timber members: Importance of wood species identification and direct tensile test information

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2019

Authors

Machado, JS (Author) Other; Pereira, F (Author) Other; Quilho, T (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Construction and Building Materials

Vol. 207

Pages: 651-660

ISSN: 0950-0618

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 1 Citation

Scopus - 15 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00Q-MZ6

DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.02.168

Abstract (EN): A proper assessment of the properties of timber members is dependent upon the capacity for acquiring sufficient information onsite. A large part of this depends on the ability to identify wood species which is consequently used for selecting and applying a suitable visual strength grading standard. However, given the wide variability associated with the mechanical properties, normally above 20%, and the possible ageing effects due to load and moisture history, visual grade information should be complemented by information from onsite tests. This paper presents the results of a methodology for assessing old timber members where all information collected from wood identification and semi-destructive testing (wood coring and tensile tests) are combined and analysed. The results stress the importance that the combination of information from different sources can provide in terms of a safer and more reliable assessment of timber members in service.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 10