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In recent decades, there is a trend in Scandinavian countries to build multi-storey residential houses using prefabricated timber modules. It is a highly efficient construction process with less environmental impact and less material waste. A significant building element in the timber modules is the light-frame timber wall, which has to be carefully analysed and optimized in this process. This paper presents a new parametric Finite Element (FE) model that can simulate both in-plane and out-of-plane deformations in the light-frame walls. A new and flexible (Eurocode based) approach to define the properties of the mechanical connections is introduced. A numerical model is presented through simulations of several walls that were verified with full-scale experiments. The results indicate that the numerical model could achieve fairly reasonable accuracy with the new approach. Furthermore, several parametric studies are presented and discussed from global and local points of view, to investigate the effects of certain parameters that are not considered in the design method according to Eurocode 5.

Light-frame timber shear walls have been used as load-bearing elements in buildings for several decades. To predict the performance of such structural elements under loading, numerous analytical and numerical models have been developed. However, little focus has been on the prediction of the plastic damage behaviour and unloading of the walls. In this paper, a parametric Finite Element (FE) model is further developed by introducing elasto-plastic connectors to simulate the mechanical behaviour of the sheathing-to-framing connections. To verify the accuracy of the elasto-plastic model, full-size walls were tested and compared with results from simulations. The numerical results, from a few loading cycles, indicate that the model achieves reasonable accuracy in predicting both the nonlinear elastic and plastic deformations. Both experimental and simulation results demonstrate the importance of opening locations relating to the external racking force. The results also indicate that for a double-layer wall, its racking strength can be achieved by summation of the separate contribution from each layer. Furthermore, the internal layer was observed to contribute significantly less than the external layer since its nail pattern was based on the sheathing pattern of the external layer. © 2022 The Authors

Building with prefabricated light-frame volume modules is a prevalent and innovative construction method for low and mid-rise timber buildings. Compared to traditionally site-built constructions this method is very advantageous due to its high prefabrication level and the fast on-site assembly of the modules. The focus of this project is to study and optimise the global shear stiffness of the volume modules and to secure a large enough shear and uplift stiffness of the mechanical (or friction based) connections between the modules. Some companies assume that the friction between the modules is sufficient to transfer the wind stabilization forces down through the entire building. Regarding structural safety, connection design is an important task that needs to be numerically studied and experimentally verified. The paper presents numerical and experimental results obtained from two ongoing research projects concerning modular-based timber buildings in Sweden. The final aim of this work is to develop an efficient three dimensional finite-element model to analyse both the global and detailed structural behaviour of these types of buildings. To study the overall shear stiffness of the volume modules, eight different test-modules are to be tested. The test results will be used to calibrate the numerical model.

This paper introduces, with the development of user-subroutines in the finite-element software Abaqus FEA®, a new practical analysis tool to simulate transient nonlinear moisture transport in wood. The tool is used to revisit the calibration of moisture simulations prior to the simulation of mechanical behaviour in bending subjected to climate change. Often, this calibration does not receive sufficient attention, since the properties and mechanical behaviour are strongly moisture dependent. The calibration of the moisture transport simulation is made with the average volumetric mass data experimentally obtained on a paired specimen of Norway spruce (Picea abies) with the dimensions $$30\times 15\times 640\, {\mathrm{mm}}^{3}$$ 30 × 15 × 640 mm 3 . The data, from a 90-day period, were measured under a constant temperature of 60 °C and systematic relative humidity cycles between 40 and 80%. A practical method based on analytical expressions was used to incorporate hysteresis and scanning behaviour at the boundary surface. The simulation tool makes the single-Fickian model and Neumann boundary condition readily available and the simulations more flexible to different uses. It also allows for a smoother description of inhomogeneity of material. The analysis from the calibration showed that scanning curves associated with hysteresis cannot be neglected in the simulation. The nonlinearity of the analysis indicated that a coherent set of moisture dependent diffusion and surface emission coefficient is necessary for the correct description of moisture gradients and mass transport.

This study was conducted to increase the knowledge of moisture-related distortion and damage in the field of wood-based lightweight panels. By increasing the possibilities of predicting moisture-re ...

Wood is a hygroscopic and moisture-sensitive material that seeks to achieve equilibrium moisture content (EMC) with its surrounding environment. For softwood timber structures exposed to variations in climate throughout their service life, this behaviour results in variable moisture-content gradients that cause moisture-induced stresses in the direction of and perpendicular to the fibres. Although Eurocode 5 (EC5) states that moisture-induced stresses should be considered, they are often not adequately dealt with in building design due to the difficulties in predicting the stresses involved by hand. Accordingly, there is a need for advanced computer tools to study how the long-term stress behaviour of timber structures is affected by creep and cyclic variations in climate. A beam model to simulate the overall hygro-mechanical and visco-elastic behaviour of (inhomogeneous) glulam structures is presented. A two-dimensional transient, non-linear moisture transport model for wood is also developed and linked with this beam model. The combined models are used to study the long-term deformations and stresses in a curved frame structure exposed to both mechanical loading and cyclic climate conditions. It is shown that the moisture-induced deformations and stresses are of such magnitude that the design codes employed should take them into account. Thus it is argued that climate-related loads should be treated as separate load contributions that can be included in different load combinations.

According to the harmonized European design code for timber structures, Eurocode 5, all pitched timber trusses are designed as an in-plane structure, meaning that the bracing systems used are assumed to prevent the out-of-plane failure of the truss if sufficient strength and stiffness are provided. The present paper studies how the stiffness of a wooden bracing system contributes to the out-of-plane stability of a trussed roof structure. Results from numerical simulations indicate that significant bracing forces may occur in compressed structural members for long-span timber structures. As well, the values obtained from the calculations according to Eurocode 5 are occasionally far from the results obtained by numerical simulations.

Tensile wood creep has not been measured previously in the temperature region 135°C–150°C for a range of moisture content (MC) up to fiber saturation point due to equipment and measurement challenges. Yet this is the region where the most dramatic softening effects can be observed. The aim of this study was to develop specialized equipment to measure tensile solid wood creep over 70°C–150°C for a range of MC and loads. Creep displacement was successfully able to be isolated from elastic and mechanosorptive strains and statistically modeled by regression analysis. This proved more accurate than complex series expansions consisting of spring- and dashpot-type components. The best creep displacement relationship was a power law with a strain root mean square error of 0.28%. The amplitude of the power law was nonlinear with respect to stress and temperature and changed by a stress factor of up to 0.9 for a stress of up to 1.2 MPa and by a temperature factor 1.2–6.3 over the investigated range. The creep relationship provides a valuable tool for predicting time-dependent distortion and internal stress of wood during drying or thermohygromechanical modification below 150°C.

When solid wood dries from a green condition to a moisture content used for further processing, moisture-induced fracture and stresses can occur. The drying stresses arise because of internal deformation constraints that are strongly affected by the cross-sectional moisture gradient differential shrinkage and the inhomogeneity of the material. To obtain a better understanding of how stresses develop during climatic variations, the field histories of stresses (and strains) in cross sections in their entirety need to be studied. The present paper reports on experiments and numerical simulations concerned with analysing the development of strains and stresses during the drying of 15-mm-thick discs of Norway spruce timber log. The samples were dried at 23 °C and relative humidity of 64 % from a green condition to equilibrium moisture content. The moisture gradient in the longitudinal direction was minimised by use of thin discs simplifying the moisture history of the samples studied. The strain field history was measured throughout the drying process by use of a digital image correlation system. Numerical simulations of the samples agreed rather well with the experimental strain results obtained. The stress results also indicated where in the cross section and when fractures could be expected to occur during drying. More optimal drying schemes showed markedly reduced stress generation.

The impacts of cold temperatures on the shear strength of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) joints (150 mm x 20 mm x 10 mm) glued with seven commercially available adhesives were studied in this work. The adhesives used here were: polyurethane (PUR), polyvinyl acetate (PVAc), emulsion-polymer-isocyanate (EPI), melamine-formaldehyde (MF), phenol-resorcinol-formaldehyde (PRF), melamine-urea-formaldehyde1 (MUF1), and melamine-urea-formaldehyde2 (MUF2). The cold temperatures investigated here were: 20, -20, -30, -40 and -50 °C. Generally, within the temperature test range, the shear strength of Scots pine solid wood and wood joints resisted more temperature effects than Norway spruce. As the temperature decreased, only some of the joints shear strength decreased significant. PUR adhesive in most cases resulted in the strongest shear strength and MUF adhesive resulted in the weakest. MF adhesive responded to temperature changes in a similar manner to that of the PUR and PVAc adhesives. The shear strengths of wood joints with PRF and EPI adhesives were more sensitive to temperature change. For dynamic tests of shear strength, the values for 12 hours and 6 days tests under cycled of temperature (-20°C and 0°C) were compared. For 6 days tests, the values for the various types of the adhesives are lower than for 12 hours. Therefore, the duration of the samples subjected to the same temperature had significant impact on shear strength. PUR is the most stable adhesive; MUF and PRF have significant decrease. Validerad; 2016; Nivå 2; 20150827 (aliwan)

Relatively few studies have been performed on the equilibrium moisture content (EMC) of wood under conditions of elevated temperature and pressure. Eight studies indicated that EMC near saturation decreased between 100 and 150 °C, whilst five studies indicated that EMC increased. The aim of this study was to identify the likely source of the disagreement using radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) sapwood which was conditioned to a moisture content of around 3 % and then exposed for 1 h at 150 °C and relative humidities of either 50, 70 or 90 %. Mean values of EMC, obtained through in situ gravimetric analyses, were 5.7, 7.6 and 12.6 % with 95 % confidence intervals of the order of 1 %. In two further experiments, the humidity was allowed to rise briefly above 90 % and the moisture content after 1 h was found to be >30 % as in the five studies that indicated EMC increased above 100 °C. The high moisture contents were attributed to condensation of liquid water on the specimen with subsequent evaporation at a rate that was too slow for the moisture content to reach equilibrium before it was measured. Reliable EMC data at elevated temperatures require (1) tight process control of experimental conditions with minimal standard error, (2) specimens with low initial moisture content to avoid unwanted wood mass loss over time, (3) a relative humidity upper limit that avoids drift above 95 %, and (4) extrapolation of data to humidity approaching 100 %.

The aim of this study was to obtain tensile elastic modulus (EM) information for radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) sapwood in tangential grain direction, over a temperature range of 70°C to 150°C for a wide range of moisture contents. Such information is scarce, probably because of difficulties with research equipment design and process control strategies to perform accurate tests. As expected, EM dramatically decreased with increasing temperature and moisture content. The results were modelled to yield a relationship between stress and strain. The results were also successfully transposed into a mastercurve based on temperature-moisture equivalence through a modified form of the Williams, Landel, and Ferry equation for amorphous polymers. This result is consistent with the view that wood is visco-plastic around the glass transition zone of the ligno-hemicellulosic matrix. It is demonstrated that moisture and temperature can play a significant role in reducing stress during drying, regardless of the drying time. Properties of wood, such as tensile elastic information at elevated temperatures, are important for mechanical design, distortion modelling and understanding the fundamental behaviour of wood in general.

Moisture-induced fractures in solid timber create considerable problems for both building industries and sawmills. Cracks caused by kiln-drying of solid timber are extremely difficult to predict. This paper reports on experiments concerned with methods of reducing cracks in wood and with the cracking behaviour of Norway spruce discs. The spruce was dried from green moisture content down to equilibrium moisture content at 23°C and 64% relative humidity. Moisture-related strains and crack development were measured using a digital image correlation system, Aramis. The moisture gradient in the longitudinal direction had a major influence on crack behaviour and was quite pronounced in discs more than 30 mm thick, but much more limited in discs only 15 mm thick. Although the thicker discs often cracked very early in the drying process, many of these cracks became invisible later on in the drying process, suggesting that sealing the ends of timber logs while in the green moisture state could considerabl...

Lack of straightness in timber is the most frequent complaint regarding solid (and laminated) timber products worldwide. Nowadays, customers demand higher quality in the shape stability of wood products than they did earlier. The final distortion of timber boards is mostly caused by moisture-related stresses in wood (drying distortions) and growth-related stresses (distortions appearing when logs are split up to timber boards by sawing). To get more knowledge on how these distortions can be reduced in wooden products, there is a need for improved understanding of this material behaviour through good numerical tools developed from empirical data. A three-dimensional finite element board distortion model developed by Ormarsson (Doctoral thesis, Publ. 99:7, 1999) has been extended to include the influence of growth stresses by incorporating a one-dimensional finite element growth stress model developed here. The growth stress model is formulated as an axisymmetric general plane strain model where material for all new annual rings is progressively added to the tree during the analysis. The simulation results presented include how stresses are progressively generated during the tree growth, distortions related to the redistribution of growth stresses during log sawing, and distortions and stresses in drying reflecting the effects of growth stresses. The results show that growth stresses clearly vary during tree growth and also form a large stress gradient from pith to bark. This in itself can result in significant bow and crook deformations when logs are sawn into timber boards. The distortion results from the simulations match well with the results observed in reality. The parametric study also showed that the radial growth stress distribution is highly influenced by parameters such as modulus of elasticity, micro fibril angle and maturation strain.

Customers demand a very a high quality of veneered furniture products with regard to surface appearance, shape stability and rigidity. To meet these requirements, it is important to improve the manufacturing process by a better understanding of the thermohydromechanical behaviour of the individual veneers. During the manufacture of strongly curved products, the veneers are exposed to large membrane and bending deformations and to a high pressure in the radial fibre direction. When hot-press forming is used, the veneers are also exposed to a high surface temperature during the pressing time (curing time). These severe conditions can result in plastic deformation perpendicular to the veneer surface as well as mechanosorptive strains in the curved regions, since the heating can significantly affect moisture distribution. How strong an influence these factors have on the distortion of the veneered product is far from being fully clarified. To study this complex multiphysical problem including tempera...

As wood construction increasingly uses engineered wood products worldwide, concerns arise about the integrity of the wood and adhesives used. Bondline strength is a crucial issue for engineered wood applications, especially in cold climates. In this study, Norway spruce (Picea abies) joints (150 mm × 20 mm × 10 mm) were bonded with seven commercially available adhesives: polyurethane (PUR), polyvinyl acetate (PVAc), emulsion-polymer-isocyanate (EPI), melamine-formaldehyde (MF), phenol-resorcinol-formaldehyde (PRF), melamine-urea-formaldehyde1 (MUF1), and melamine-urea-formaldehyde2 (MUF2). Each adhesive was tested at six temperatures: 20, −20, −30, −40, −50 and −60 °C. Generally, within the temperature test range, temperature changes significantly affected the shear strength of solid wood and wood joints. As the temperature decreased, the shear strength decreased. PUR adhesive in most cases resulted in the strongest shear strength and MUF adhesive resulted in the weakest. MF and PRF adhesives responded to temperature changes in a similar manner to that of the PUR adhesive. The shear strengths of wood joints with PVAc and EPI adhesives were more sensitive to temperature change. At low temperatures, the variability of shear strengths increased with all adhesives. Percent wood failures of joints bonded with different adhesives in most cases were not sensitive to temperature changes Validerad; 2015; Nivå 2; 20150212 (andbra)

A nonlinear model for analysing heat and moisture flow in wood during drying below the fiber saturation point is presented. The model used considers wood at a macro level without taking the various moisture transports mechanisms at the microscopic level into account. Based on the finite-element method, a coupled system of equations resulting from the adopted heat and moisture transfer equations is established and an iterative scheme is proposed. The numerical procedure is verified by a test example. In a two-dimensional analysis, the influence of the coupling on the combined heat and moisture transfer is studied for a board subjected to a typical kiln-drying condition. How well the results agree with those obtained by introducing a commonly applied simplification is discussed.

The study concerns the question of how the shape stability features of laminated columns of Norway spruce can be improved in terms of twist through optimal orientation of the individual laminates. Both experimental testing and numerical simulations were employed for evaluating twist stability. In all the columns studied, deformations were measured experimentally at different moisture content levels. A number of columns were also selected for numerical analysis in order to obtain a more thorough understanding of the twist behavior involved, their geometries and material properties of interest being determined. The experimental results showed the twist stability of the columns to be highly dependant upon the internal orientation of the individual laminates. It was also found that high quality columns in terms of shape stability could be manufactured, even when the center-core material has a strong twist tendency. The numerical simulations performed were in close agreement with the experimental results.

An experimental study of shape stability in wooden glued boards was performed to verify certain results of particular interest obtained earlier in numerical simulations. Possibilities for achieving products of good shape stability by gluing boards together in an optimal way are discussed. Since twist is often the most serious form of distortion defects for the user, it was the main type of board deformation considered. Three types of glued products were tested. The experiments show clearly that glued boards can be produced that remain stable in shape when exposed to extreme variations in moisture. The results agree well with the numerical simulations performed earlier. It was found that initial twist could be reduced by proper application of pressure during gluing and that through gluing the occurrence of cracking defects on visible surfaces could be substantially reduced.

Timber is normally dried by kiln drying, in the course of which moisture-induced stresses and fractures can occur. Cracks occur primarily in the radial direction due to tangential tensile strength (TSt) that exceeds the strength of the material. The present article reports on experiments and numerical simulations by finite element modeling (FEM) concerning the TSt and fracture behavior of Norway spruce under various climatic conditions. Thin log disc specimens were studied to simplify the description of the moisture flow in the samples. The specimens designed for TS were acclimatized to a moisture content (MC) of 18% before TSt tests at 20°C, 60°C, and 90°C were carried out. The maximum stress results of the disc simulations by FEM were compared with the experimental strength results at the same temperature levels. There is a rather good agreement between the results of modeling and experiments. The results also illustrate the strong decrease of TSt with increasing temperature at a constant MC level.

In timber exposed to moisture variations, drying distortions is a serious problem that might result into sawn timber and other wood products unsuitable for construction purposes. Two characteristics of wood are that its behaviour is strongly orthotropic and that it is very sensitive to variations in moisture content. In addition, wood is characterised by variation in its properties from pith to bark. A further important property of wood, which affects its behaviour, is its spiral grain. For timber containing much compression wood the drying distortions are also highly dependent upon where the compression wood is located in the sawn boards. The present study concerns an experimental investigation of density, grain angles, shrinkage parameters and longitudinal elastic modulus in a number of spruce boards containing much compression wood. On the basis of the data obtained, numerical simulations have been carried out in order to determine the deformations that developed in the boards during changes i...

A theory for analysing the shape stability of sawn timber was implemented in a finite element program. To illustrate the types of results that can be obtained, the behaviour of a board during drying was simulated. The simulation yields information about unfavourable deformations and stresses during the drying process. To investigate factors that influence drying deformations, a parameter study was performed in which the influence of different constitutive models and different material parameters was studied. In addition, the influence of the spiral grain angle was examined.

A three-dimensional theory for the numerical simulation of deformations and stresses in wood during moisture variation is described. The constitutive model employed, assumes the total strain rate to be the sum of the elastic strain rate, the moisture-induced strain rate and the mechano-sorption strain rate. Wood is assumed to be an orthotropic material with large differences between the longitudinal, radial and tangential directions in the properties found. The influence of the growth rings, the spiral grain and the conical shape of the log on the orthotropic directions in the wood is taken account of in the model. A finite element formulation is used to describe the deformation process and the stress development during drying.

A method for defining effective schedules for kiln drying of wood is presented. The method is designed in such a way that it proposes an optimized variation of temperature and humidity which yields ...

Wood is a hygro-mechanical, non-isotropic and inhomogeneous material concerning both modulus of elasticity (MOE) and shrinkage properties. In stress calculations associated with ordinary timber design, these matters are often not dealt with properly. The main reason for this is that stress distributions in inhomogeneous glued laminated members (glulam) and in composite beams exposed to combined mechanical action and variable climate conditions are extremely difficult to predict by hand. Several experimental studies of Norway spruce have shown that the longitudinal modulus of elasticity and the longitudinal shrinkage coefficient vary considerably from pith to bark. The question is how much these variations affect the stress distribution in wooden structures exposed to variable moisture climate. The paper presents a finite element implementation of a beam element with the aim of studying how wooden composites behave during both mechanical and environmental load action. The beam element is exposed to both axial and lateral deformation. The material model employed concerns the elastic, shrinkage, mechano-sorption and visco-elastic behaviour of the wood material. It is used here to simulate the behaviour of several simply-supported and continuous composite beams subjected to both mechanical and environmental loading to illustrate the advantages this can provide. The results indicate clearly both the inhomogeneity of the material and the variable moisture action occurring to have had a significant effect on the stress distribution within the cross-section of the products that were studied (Less)

Le processus de deformation du bois expose au sechage etautres types de charges environnementales est simule par la methode des elements finis. La structure orthotropique du bois est prise en consideration sur le modele de materiel utilise. Les differences existant au niveau des proprietes des directions longitudinales, radiales et tangentielles sont prises en compte pour les parametres de rigidite et de contraction par humidite. Une des possibilites du champ d'applications est illustree par le fait que l'evolution de la deformation des planches pendant le sechage est simulee. A l'echelon des analyses, l'influence du grain spiral et la variation des proprietes du bois avec la distance depuis la moelle sont pris en compte. La simulation permet d'obtenir des informations concernant l'evolution des deformations defavorables pendant le processus de sechage.

International audience; The board distortion that occurs during the sawing and the drying process causes major problems in the utilisation of sawn timber. The distortion is highly influenced by parameters such as spiral grain angle, modulus of elasticity, shrinkage, growth stresses and sawing pattern.* In this study a finite element simulation of log sawing and timber drying was performed to study how these parameters interact to affect board distortion. A total of 81 logs with different material combinations were simulated. From each simulated log four boards with different annual ring orientation were studied.* The results showed that the elastic modulus, shrinkage coefficient and growth stresses had a large influence on the final bow and spring deformation. After sawing of the log into boards, the release of growth stresses was the main contributor to the bow and spring deformation. For boards with low modulus of elasticity, the bending distortion became larger than for the boards with high modulus of elasticity. The twist deformation was very small after sawing but increased significantly during drying of the boards. The results showed that spiral grain angle and the board location within the log were the main contributors to the twist deformation.; La déformation des planches qui se produit au cours du sciage et du séchage conduit à des difficultés importantes pour l'utilisation des sciages. Les déformations sont très dépendantes de paramètres tels que l'angle du fil, le module d'élasticité, les retraits, les contraintes de croissance et le plan de débit.* Dans cette étude nous avons réalisé une simulation par éléments finis du sciage de billons et de leur séchage pour étudier comment ces paramètres interagissent et affectent la distorsion des planches. Nous avons simulé un total de 81 billons avec différentes combinaisons des propriétés du matériau. Pour chaque billon quatre planches sont simulées avec différentes orientations des limites de cernes.* Les résultats montrent que le module d'élasticité, les coefficients des retraits et les contraintes de croissance ont une grande influence sur la courbure finale de la face et sur la courbure de chant. Après le sciage des billons en planches, la libération des contraintes de croissance est le principal contributeur des deux déformations précédentes. Enfin, on montre que l'angle du fil et la position de la planche dans le billon sont les principales causes du gauchissement.