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Wooden utility poles are crucial in supporting overhead telecommunication lines in Portugal. Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Aiton) is the most common wood species used for this purpose. The durability of the poles is typically determined by the deterioration observed in their ground line. Aiming to reduce the use of new sound wooden poles, reducing the economic costs involved, and the environmental impacts, the reuse of those old wooden poles by removing the degraded part is one possible solution. This study aimed to develop and validate solutions with composed poles, specifically for the connections between the wood members, so that it is possible to more efficiently incorporate used parts into the remanufactured poles. Two types of connections were used: members joined by a cylindrical steel tube, and members joined by finger joints. The static bending moduli of elastic and rupture were tested. The mechanical properties of the reused wooden utility poles showed to be in line with the values of new sound wooden poles made of different wood species. Finally, both proposed solutions proved to be practical for use in the production of reused utility poles, which are mostly made from old timber poles.

Microwave (MW) drying of wood has gained popularity in the field of wood modification. The rise in temperature during MW drying leads to increased steam pressure, enhancing wood permeability but potentially decreasing mechanical properties. Understanding temperature and moisture behaviors during MW drying is crucial for its industrial application in wood drying. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize the temperature and moisture behaviors during MW drying of small Portuguese maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Aiton.) wood samples to support a wider use of this technology. The effects on water uptake and the compressive strength parallel to the grain were also investigated. The results indicated three distinct phases in the MW drying rates, with an average of 0.085% of water removed per second. Moreover, the temperature underwent three distinct stages: an initial rapid increase, a period of constant temperature, and a slight decrease until drying was complete. At the beginning of MW drying, the temperatures were below 100 °C, with average temperatures ranging from 126 to 145 °C. Specimens with lower initial moisture content had higher temperatures, and a positive correlation was found between initial moisture content and drying time. In contrast, negative correlations were found between the initial moisture content and average temperature, as well as average temperature and MW drying time. Additionally, the operating condition parameters used in MW drying of pine samples enhanced water impregnability by 65%, generating a slight reduction of 11% in compressive strength. It was also noticed that the initial moisture content did not impact MW-dried samples’ water uptake or compressive strength. Finally, although small clear wood samples of maritime pine were utilized, the temperature and moisture patterns observed closely matched real-scale specimens. Thus, the findings corroborate a wide utilization of MW technology for wood drying, mainly demonstrating positive possibilities for structural-sized wood specimens.

Wood is a material that has been used by humankind for a long time. However, wood researchers and industry have always been concerned about the issues during wood drying and the permeability problems of certain species. In this sense, microwave technology has been applied for wood drying and improving permeably. This paper investigates the microwave drying of two Portuguese wood species, Pinus pinaster sap and heartwood and Eucalyptus globulus heartwood using small clear specimens. The samples were grouped into six during each microwave treatment run according to their similarity of initial moisture content. Once the drying was completed, control and microwave -treated samples were impregnated with desalinated water to analyze their improvement in water absorption, and the compression strength parallel to the grain was analyzed. The results showed that each wood species behaves differently under microwave drying and initial moisture content. The impregnation results demonstrated that pine and eucalyptus microwave -treated heartwood samples improved their capability to absorb water. Finally, only the microwave -treated specimens of eucalyptus heartwood presented a decrease in the values of compression strength parallel to the grain compared to the control group. Therefore, MW treatment presents possibilities for further applications for the wood industry with supporting results.

The most widespread wood species in the Portuguese forest and the most widely utilized are maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) and eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus Labill). In the case of eucalyptus, except for the pulping sector, it might have limited usage due to drying issues and low permeability. Microwave (MW) treatment is a technology that has been used to improve wood species’ permeability. Therefore, the present paper aimed to evaluate the MW treatment of both Portuguese wood species and to investigate the effects of different MW treatments on wood’s density, water uptake capability, modulus of rupture (MOR), and modulus of elasticity (MOE). Using small clear wood specimens, two MW powers were used, 700 and 1200 W, and the samples were submitted to successive MW cycles of 2 min till they reached the required dryness. The results showed that each wood species had a different behavior during the MW drying in terms of drying rate, supply, and consumption of energy. In general, with the increase in MW power, the densities of both species decreased and the water uptake increased, as a possible indicator that a certain level of microstructural damage might have occurred. Regarding the mechanical properties of MW-treated maritime pine and eucalyptus wood specimens, under the harshest conditions (MW power of 1200 W), MOR and MOE were reduced compared with the wood sample without MW treatment.

This study aimed to compare the mechanical performance of two truss typologies, the modified Fan and Howe trusses, using five different wood species: Cambará-rosa, Cupiúba, Angelim-pedra, Garapa, and Jatobá. The spans considered were 6, 9, 12, and 15 m, and the optimization algorithm used was a swarm intelligence algorithm to minimize the structure weight. The study found that wood is a sustainable and viable option for truss constructions, with different wood species having distinct mechanical properties that must be considered when designing the structure. The Howe truss typology presented lower results for the objective function in comparison with the modified Fan truss. The distribution of normal forces in the truss correlated with the characteristic strength in compression and tensile of the species. The Howe truss typology presented a larger amplitude in relation to the modified Fan truss typology in most of the conditions adopted for the Ultimate Limit State constraints. Constraints associated with deflection in the immediate condition were observed to limit the optimization process. The study used the matrix analysis method to evaluate internal efforts and nodal displacements in the trusses. In summary, this study demonstrates the importance of considering all constraints when dimensioning timber structures and the benefits of using different wood species for sustainable construction.

Ainda que o Brasil não sofra com catástrofes naturais e sejam incomuns episódios de terrorismo às edificações, a crescente indústria da construção civil demanda práticas cada vez mais audaciosas que divergem do caminho da segurança e da integridade estrutural. Este fato tem gerado cada vez mais preocupação no meio técnico, uma vez que existem profissionais, por desconhecimento do colapso progressivo, negligencie a sua possibilidade e não anteveja os possíveis cenários de dano. Não obstante, a normas no cenário nacional carecem de explicações e de práticas de prevenção a este fenômeno. Isto posto, o presente trabalho tem função de analisar os métodos de aplicação genérica, podendo concluir qual o melhor método a ser utilizado. Um edifício didático foi modelado com a intenção de aplicar três diferentes métodos, chegando-se a conclusão que a metodologia adotada pela norma UFC 04-023-03 de 2009, além de resistir às solicitações típicas do fenômeno de colapso considerado, apresentou acréscimo de material e financeiro razoáveis, plausível de ser empregado na realidade em que vivemos.

Plywood is a structural composite mainly applied in construction. For this purpose, some sort of preservative treatment is recommended to increase its durability. One option of the available treatments is heat treatment, which promotes the modification of the wood properties. This treatment is carried out on the final product (plywood), because it can reduce strength if applied to the veneers. However, no study has proven such a reduction. Therefore, the aim of this work was to evaluate three different temperatures (160 °C, 180 °C and 200 °C) of the heat treatment on the veneer surface and on the physical properties (specific gravity, moisture content and swelling in thickness) and mechanical properties (MOE and MOR in static bending) of Pinus taeda plywood. A reduction was observed in the roughness of the veneer’s surfaces and the total extractives content changed, with a minimum value reached in the 160 °C treatment. The plywood specific gravity initially increased with the heat treatment and did not change at higher temperatures, moisture content reduced, and thickness swelling was not affected. There was no change in the mechanical properties of the plywood, evidencing that the veneer heat treatment does not prejudice mechanically the final product.

Wood strength values are calculated based on the characteristic value, which corresponds to the 5 % percentile of a given probability distribution model. For a few number of samples (12 samples), the Brazilian standard ABNT NBR (7190) establishes an estimator of the characteristic compressive strength parallel to grain of the wood, which may provide a different result when compared with the characteristic value coming from a suitable probability distribution model. Considering the strength results in the parallel compression to the grain of 45 wood species of the hardwood group, Normal, LogNormal, Weibull and Exponential probability distribution models were used for each specie with the purpose of determining the one with the highest adhesion. Calculated the characteristic values by the best probability model distribution, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed in the estimation of the characteristic value of compressive strength, making it possible to identify the most significant terms of the models as well as the quality of the adjustment obtained on such models. The proposed regression model (R2 adj= 96,56 %) proved to be equivalent to the empirical model of the Brazilian standard. The model proposed here only depends on the mean and the lowest value obtained from the compressive strength in the parallel direction to the grain.

This study focuses on the evaluation of the mechanical behavior of two types of connections for intended use in rural Timber‑Concrete Composite traffic bridges. The two connection types used were the “X” type connection – XD and the dowel type connection – PD. Firstly, static shear tests in small-scale specimens were performed in both connection types and higher results were obtained for the XD series, both for stiffness and load carrying capacity. Secondly, the PD connection was chosen, based on practical and economical aspects, for further testing also in small-scale specimens, including cyclic tests. The influence of the number of cycles in the connection stiffness and load carrying capacity was evaluated. It was concluded that the load carrying capacity increased after the application of a pre-defined number of load cycles and that the connection stiffness increased 80.6% and 34.1% after 10,000 and 1,000 cycles, respectively, for different applied load levels. Also the increase of load level in the cyclic tests affected the performance of the connection, leading to a decrease in stiffness.

In wood structures, the elements subjected to bending stresses, such as the beams, present a fracture initiated in the tensile region, and under these conditions, the use of laminated composite materials is presented as an alternative solution in the form of repair or reinforcement. This research aimed to evaluate the influence of the use of carbon fibers laminated composites in tensile reinforcement in the direction parallel to grain of Pinus elliotti and Manilkara huberi wood species. The Viapol two-component epoxy adhesive was used in the lamination and fixation of the unidirectional carbon fiber in the wood species. Ten specimens with no defects (reference) and 10 specimens were prepared for each crack length (25 and 50mm) with and without the reinforcement (60mm × 50mm) by the laminated composite. The tensile tests were performed in accordance with the requirements of the Brazilian standard ABNT NBR 7190 (1997). From the results of the statistical analysis, the use of the carbon fiber composite was able to restore the tensile strength of the cracked samples (partial or total) in relation to samples without defects, demonstrating the potential of the laminates in carbon fibers as an alternative solution in repair for both wood species.

The application of non-destructive technologies for the assessment of mechanical properties has been increasingly used due to its reliable assessment of the condition of timber elements. The application of such methods is well established for sawn timber and small-diameter roundwood. However, regarding the assessment of the mechanical properties for roundwood with larger diameters, which are usually used for new utility poles, a fewer number of studies are available. This research considered three different methodologies for application in Maritime Pine utility poles: i) longitudinal vibration, ii) transverse vibration, and iii) ultrasound. The methodology with better results was chosen for use in the second stage of testing. Furthermore, mechanical tests were performed to compare and validate the results from the non-destructive tests. The moisture contents and densities were also determined. Simple and multiple linear regression analyses were performed between the visual, dynamic, and mechanical properties. The longitudinal vibration method achieved the best correlation within the non-destructive methods, while the ultrasound method had no noticeable correlation. The vibration frequency (f) (r = 0.51) showed a better correlation with the bending strength (MOR) than the dynamic modulus of elasticity (MOEdyn) (r = 0.45). The static modulus of elasticity (MOE) was the best property used to predict MOR because it presented the highest correlation (r = 0.79).

A non-destructive method for measurement of the modulus of elasticity (MOE) was compared with the static method on beams of Cupressus lusitanica and Populus x canadensis. The dynamic method is based on the principle of the resonance frequency, using longitudinal vibrations (Timber Grader MTG, accelerometer) and the static method for measurement of the flexural modulus of elasticity is according to EN 408 (2012). The differences between the ascertained dynamic and static MOE values were 1.1% to 2.4% for the Populus x canadensis sample and 12.7% to 15.5% for the Cupressus lusitanica sample. Furthermore, the correlation dependence of the applied methods was determined and the regression equations are shown. Experimental measurement showed the effect of the knot clusters, which appeared primarily in Cupressus lusitanica samples and considerably impacted the resultant values.

There has been a strong recent effort to develop procedures that prevent the unnecessary replacement of timber utility poles. Even when assessments show that the utility pole needs to be replaced, there are many cases in which the removed utility poles can be reused. The aim of this study was to determine the mechanical properties of Maritime Pine (Pinus pinaster (Ait.)) utility poles removed from service (UPRFS) in order to assess their ability to be reused in structural applications. A sample of 51 UPRFS in Portugal was selected, and visual and mechanical properties were evaluated through non-destructive and destructive tests. Dynamic modulus of elasticity (MOEdyn) was correlated with bending strength (MOR) (r = 0.43) and modulus of elasticity (MOE) (r = 0.71). UPRFS showed a decrease of 14% and 6% in the mean values of MOR and MOE, respectively, when compared with new utility poles. A high variability and low values were obtained for MOR. These results highlight the reuse potential of the maritime pine utility poles for structural applications. Furthermore, the determined properties of UPRFS could be improved with a more stringent selection process that discards utility poles showing severe damage or by removing damaged areas in the utility poles.