Planar Strain Measurements on Wood Specimens

Wood specimens have been tested for compressive loading in the longitudinal direction. Planar deformation was recorded by means of video extensometry on the specimen surfaces. A post processing routine was developed to calculate stress and strain values from the sampled data. The routine made use of mathematical framework used in the finite element method. Material parameters were detected by means of an optimization algorithm, and the determined linear elastic parameters were in general found to be in good agreement with values given in literature. The utilized method offers simultaneous average values for active, passive and shear strains from the measured area. Moduli of elasticity, Poisson’s ratios and shear deformation can thus be evaluated. In addition, the variation of the three strain components over the area is measured. The results can therefore be used for quantification of material inhomogeneity and are further suitable for direct comparison with numerically computed strains comprising non-uniform strain fields. Since video extensometry does not require any physical contact with the specimen, measurements can be undertaken until failure. The present method offers thus an efficient and relatively accurate way to measure and evaluate the material characteristics of anisotropic and inhomogeneous materials like wood.