Strength grading of hardwoods is a prerequisite to use them in structural engineered wood products. However, hardwood strength grading is considerably less developed than it is for softwood species. Previous study has shown that white ash and yellow birch are promising species for the manufacture of glued-laminated timber. However, no strength grading procedure dedicated to hardwoods is available in Canada. The objective of this study was to identify the relevant indicating properties for predicting the ultimate tensile strength of the investigated species. A model selection approach allowed to identify the most performing models and to compare, for each species, the relative impact of the indicating properties. The indicating properties included in the final models were the density of the specimens, the dynamic modulus of elasticity, the sinus of the maximum local grain deviation (SGDmax) as well as the knot area index (KAI), derived from the knot area ratio. The final models revealed important differences between the two species, indicating that it may be relevant to grade them separately to ensure the most efficient utilization of the resource. The coefficients of determination between the actual and model predicted UTS were 0.82 for white ash and 0.78 for yellow birch.
The growing demand for engineered wood products in the construction sector has resulted in the diversification of the product offer. Used marginally in structural products in North America, northern hardwoods are now attracting a growing interest from industry and policy makers because of their outstanding strength as well as their high availability and distinctive appearance. Currently, there is no standard in Canada governing the use of hardwoods in the manufacturing of glued-laminated timber. As part of a larger project aiming to assemble the basic knowledge that would lead to such standard, the specific objective of this study was to assess the shear strength in dry and wet conditions of assemblies made from different hardwood species and structural adhesives. Results suggest that a mean shear strength as high as 20.5 MPa for white oak, 18.8 MPa for white ash and respectively 18.2 MPa and 17.4 MPa for yellow birch and paper birch can be obtained in dry conditions. The choice of adhesive did not affect the dry shear strength of our specimens, but differences were observed in wet conditions. Specimens bonded with melamine-formaldehyde adhesive had generally the highest wet shear strength and wood failure values. Our results also highlight the important influence of wood density on the percentage of failure that occurs in wood and, to a lesser extent, on shear strength. Further investigations on finger joint strength and full-size bending tests will allow confirming the potential for the investigated species to be used in glued-laminated timber.
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