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The Mechanical Properties of Wood

Part 3 — FOOTNOTES

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[Footnote 1: This is in accordance with the discovery made in 1678 by Robert Hooke, and is known as Hooke's law.]

[Footnote 2: If the straight portion does not pass through the origin, a parallel line should be drawn through the origin, and the load at elastic limit taken from this line. (See Fig. 32.)]

[Footnote 3: See Brush, Warren D.: A microscopic study of the mechanical failure of wood. Vol. II, Rev. F.S. Investigations, Washington, D.C., 1912, p. 35.]

[Footnote 4: See Circular No. 18, U.S. Division of Forestry: Progress in timber physics, pp. 13-18; also Bulletin 70, U.S. Forest Service: Effect of moisture on the strength and stiffness of wood, pp. 42, 89-90.]

[Footnote 5: See Bulletin 70, op. cit., p. 129.]

[Footnote 6: Jaccard, P.: Étude anatomique des bois comprimés. Mit. d. Schw. Centralanstalt f.d. forst. Versuchswesen. X. Band, 1. Heft. Zurich, 1910, p. 66.]

[Footnote 7: This does not correspond exactly with the conclusions of A. Thil, who says ("Constitution anatomique du bois," pp. 140-141): "The sides of the medullary rays sometimes produce planes of least resistance varying in size with the height of the rays. The medullary rays assume a direction more or less parallel to the lumen of the cells on which they border; the latter curve to the right or left to make room for the ray and then close again beyond it. If the force acts parallel to the axis of growth, the tracheids are more likely to be displaced if the marginal cells of the medullary rays are provided with weak walls that are readily compressed. This explains why on the radial surface of the test blocks the plane of rupture passes in a direction nearly following a medullary ray, whereas on the tangential surface the direction of the plane of rupture is oblique—but with an obliquity varying with the species and determined by the pitch of the spirals along which the medullary rays are distributed in the stem." See Jaccard, op. cit., pp. 57 et seq.]

[Footnote 8: Shear should not be confused with ordinary cutting or incision.]

[Footnote 9: While in reality this relationship does not exactly hold, the formulæ for beams are based on its assumption.]

[Footnote 10: Only this form of beam is considered since it is the simplest. For cantilever and continuous beams, and beams rigidly fixed at one or both ends, as well as for different methods of loading, different forms of cross section, etc., other formulæ are required. See any book on mechanics.]

[Footnote 11: See Tiemann, Harry D.: Some results of dead load bending tests of timber by means of a recording deflectometer. Proc. Am. Soc. for Testing Materials. Phila. Vol. IX, 1909, pp. 534-548.]

[Footnote 12: A fourth might be added, namely, vibratory, or harmonic repetition, which is frequently serious in the case of bridges.]

[Footnote 13: Johnson, J.B.: The materials of construction, pp. 81-82.]

[Footnote 14: See Tiemann, Harry D.: The theory of impact and its application to testing materials. Jour. Franklin Inst., Oct., Nov., 1909, pp. 235-259, 336-364.]

[Footnote 15: See Proc. Int. Assn. for Testing Materials, 1912, XXIII2, pp. 12-13.]

[Footnote 16: See articles by Gabriel Janka listed in bibliography, pages 151-152.]

[Footnote 17: For details regarding the structure of wood see Record, Samuel J.: Identification of the economic woods of the United States. New York, John Wiley & Sons, 1912.]

[Footnote 18: Bul. 88: Properties and uses of Douglas fir, p. 29.]

[Footnote 19: Bul. 108, U. S. Forest Service: Tests of structural timbers, p. 37.]

[Footnote 20: Bul. 80: The commercial hickories, pp. 48-50.]

[Footnote 21: Bul. 53: Chestnut in southern Maryland, pp. 20-21.]

[Footnote 22: Bul. 108: Tests of structural timber, p. 35.]

[Footnote 23: Bul. 80: The commercial hickories, p. 50.]

[Footnote 24: Loc. cit.]

[Footnote 25: Although the factor of heart or sapwood does not influence the mechanical properties of the wood and there is usually no difference in structure observable under the microscope, nevertheless sapwood is generally decidedly different from heartwood in its physical properties. It dries better and more easily than heartwood, usually with less shrinkage and little checking or honeycombing. This is especially the case with the more refractory woods, such as white oaks and Eucalyptus globulus and viminalis. It is usually much more permeable to air, even in green wood, notably so in loblolly pine and even in white oak. As already stated, it is much more subject to decay. The sapwood of white oak may be impregnated with creosote with comparative ease, while the heartwood is practically impenetrable. These facts indicate a difference in its chemical nature.—H.D. Tiemann.]

[Footnote 26: Bul. 108, U.S. Forest Service, p. 36.]

[Footnote 27: The oaks for some unknown reason fall below the normal strength for weight, whereas the hickories rise above. Certain other woods also are somewhat exceptional to the normal relation of strength and density.]

[Footnote 28: Bul. 70, U.S. Forest Service, p. 92; also p. 126, appendix.]

[Footnote 29: See Burke, H.E.: Black check in western hemlock. Cir. No. 61, U.S. Bu. Entomology, 1905.]

[Footnote 30: See McAtee, W.L.: Woodpeckers in relation to trees and wood products. Bul. No. 39, U.S. Biol. Survey, 1911.]

[Footnote 31: See Von Schrenck, Hermann: The "bluing" and the "red rot" of the western yellow pine, with special reference to the Black Hills forest reserve. Bul. No. 36, U.S. Bu. Plant Industry, Washington, 1903, pp. 13-14.

Weiss, Howard, and Barnum, Charles T.: The prevention of sapstain in lumber. Cir. 192, U.S. Forest Service, Washington, 1911, pp. 16-17.]

[Footnote 32: See Standard classification of structural timber. Yearbook Am. Soc. for Testing Materials, 1913, pp. 300-303. Contains three plates showing standard defects.]

[Footnote 33: Bul. 108, pp. 52 et seq.]

[Footnote 34: Bul. 115, U.S. Forest Service: Mechanical properties of western hemlock, p. 20.]

[Footnote 35: Hartig, R.: The diseases of trees (trans. by Somerville and Ward), London and New York, 1894, pp. 282-294.]

[Footnote 36: Busse, W.: Frost-, Ring- und Kernrisse. Forstwiss. Centralb., XXXII, 2, 1910, pp. 74-81.]

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[Footnote 37: For detailed information regarding insect injuries, the reader is referred to the various publications of the U.S. Bureau of Entomology, Washington, D.C.]

[Footnote 38: See Smith, C. Stowell: Preservation of piling against marine wood borers. Cir. 128, U.S. Forest Service, 1908, pp. 15.]

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[Footnote 39: See Von Schrenck, H.: The decay of timber and methods of preventing it. Bul. 14, U.S. Bu. Plant Industry, Washington, D.C., 1902. Also Buls. 32, 114, 214, 266.

Meineoke, E.P.: Forest tree diseases common in California and Nevada, U.S. Forest Service, Washington, D.C., 1914.

Hartig, R.: The diseases of trees. London and New York, 1894.]

[Footnote 40: Dry rot in factory timbers, by Inspection Dept. Associated Factory Mutual Fire Insurance Cos., 31 Milk Street, Boston, 1913.]

[Footnote 41: Falck, Richard: Die Meruliusfaüle des Bauholzes, Hausschwammforschungen, 6. Heft., Jena, 1912.]

[Footnote 42: Mez, Carl: Der Hausschwamm. Dresden, 1908, p. 63.]

[Footnote 43: A culture of fungus placed in a glass jar and the air pumped out ceases to grow, but will start again as soon as oxygen is admitted.]

[Footnote 44: Experiments in kiln-drying Eucalyptus in Berkeley, U.S. Forest Service.]

[Footnote 45: See Anderson, Paul J.: The morphology and life history of the chestnut blight fungus. Bul. No. 7, Penna. Chestnut Tree Blight Com., Harrisburg, 1914, p. 17.]

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[Footnote 46: See York, Harlan H.: The anatomy and some of the biological aspects of the "American mistletoe." Bul. 120, Sci. Ser. No. 13, Univ. of Texas, Austin, 1909.

Bray, Wm. L.: The mistletoe pest in the Southwest. Bul. 166, U.S. Bu. Plant Ind., Washington, 1910.

Meinecke, E.P.: Forest tree diseases common in California and Nevada. U.S. Forest Service, Washington, 1914, pp. 54-58.]

[Footnote 47: See Record, S.J.: Sap in relation to the properties of wood. Proc. Am. Wood Preservers' Assn., Baltimore, Md., 1913, pp. 160-166.

Kempfer, Wm. H.: The air-seasoning of timber. In Bul. 161, Am. Ry. Eng. Assn., 1913, p. 214.]

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[Footnote 48: See Tiemann, H.D.: Effect of moisture upon the strength and stiffness of wood. Bul. 70, U.S. Forest Service, Washington, D.C., 1906; also Cir. 108, 1907.]

[Footnote 49: The wood of Eucalyptus globulus (blue gum) appears to be an exception to this rule. Tiemann says: "The wood of blue gum begins to shrink immediately from the green condition, even at 70 to 90 per cent moisture content, instead of from 30 or 25 per cent as in other species of hardwoods." Proc. Soc. Am. For., Washington, Vol. VIII, No. 3, Oct., 1913, p. 313.]

[Footnote 50: See Schlich's Manual of Forestry, Vol. V. (rev. ed.), p. 75.]

[Footnote 51: Cir. 39. Experiments on the strength of treated timber, p. 18.]

[Footnote 52: Ibid., p. 21. See also Cir. 108, p. 19, table 5.]

[Footnote 53: Hatt, W. K.: Experiments on the strength of treated timber. Cir. 39, U.S. Forest Service, 1906, p. 31.]

[Footnote 54: Teesdale, Clyde II.: The absorption of creosote by the cell walls of wood. Cir. 200, U. S. Forest Service, 1912, p. 7.]

[Footnote 55: Tiemann, H.D.: Effect of moisture upon the strength and stiffness of wood. Bul. 70, U. S. Forest Service, 1907, pp. 122-123, tables 43-44.]

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[Footnote 56: The methods of timber testing described here are for the most part those employed by the U. S. Forest Service. See Cir. 38 (rev. ed.), 1909.]

[Footnote 57: Bul. 108, U. S. Forest Service: Tests of structural timbers, pp. 53-54.]

[Footnote 58: See Tiemann, Harry Donald: The effect of the speed of testing upon the strength and the standardization of tests for speed. Proc. Am. Soc. for Testing Materials, Vol. VIII, Philadelphia, 1908.]

[Footnote 59: For description of U.S. Forest Service automatic and autographic impact testing machine, see Proc. Am. Soc. for Testing Materials, Vol. VIII, 1908, pp. 538-540.]

[Footnote 60: See Warren, W.H.: The strength, elasticity, and other properties of New South Wales hardwood timbers. Dept. For., N.S.W., Sydney, 1911, pp. 88-95.]

[Footnote 61: Bul. No. 8: Timber physics, Part II., 1893, p. 7.]

[Footnote 62: Cir. 38: Instructions to engineers of timber tests, 1906, p. 24.]

[Footnote 63: Warren, W.H.: The strength, elasticity, and other properties of New South Wales hardwood timbers, 1911, pp. 58-62.]

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[Footnote 64: Wood is so seldom subjected to a pure stress of this kind that the torsion test is usually omitted.]

Notes in this chapter

Note 1 · If no external forces act upon a body its particles assume certain relative positions, and it has what is called its natural shape and size.Note 2 · Elastic limit as measured in tests and used in design may be defined as that unit stress at which the deformation begins to increase in a faNote 3 · Failure of wood in tension parallel to the grain occurs sometimes in flexure, especially with dry material. The tension portion of the fractNote 4 · It has been demonstrated4 that the ultimate strength in compression parallel to the grain is very nearly the same as the extreme fibre stresNote 5 · When a short column is compressed until it breaks, the manner of failure depends partly upon the anatomical structure and partly upon the deNote 6 · According to Jaccard6 the folding of the cells is accompanied by characteristic alterations of their walls which seem to split them into extNote 7 · In examining the lines of rupture in compression parallel to the grain it appears that there does not exist any specific type, that is, one Note 8 · Whenever forces act upon a body in such a way that one portion tends to slide upon another adjacent to it the action is called a shear.8 In Note 9 · When external forces acting in the same plane are applied at right angles to the axis of a bar so as to cause it to bend, they occasion a shNote 10 · The two main requirements of a beam are stiffness and strength. The formulæ for the modulus of elasticity (E) or measure of stiffness of a rNote 11 · When a dead load not great enough to rupture a beam has been removed, the beam tends gradually to recover its former shape, but the recoveryNote 12 · There are three12 general methods in which loads may be applied to beams, namely:Note 13 · (2) Sudden imposition of load without initial velocity. "Thus in the case of placing a load on a beam, if the load be brought into contact wNote 14 · (3) Impact, shock, or blow.14 There are various common uses of wood where the material is subjected to sudden shocks and jars or impact. SucNote 15 · Since the tensile strength of wood is on the average about three times as great as the compressive strength, a beam should, therefore, be exNote 16 · Tests for either form of hardness are of comparative value only. Tests for indentation are commonly made by penetrations of the material witNote 17 · Wood is an organic product—a structure of infinite variation of detail and design.17 It is on this account that no two woods are alike—in reNote 18 · "An analysis of tests on large beams was made to ascertain if average rate of growth has any relation to the mechanical properties of the beNote 19 · Experiments seem to indicate that for most species there is a rate of growth which, in general, is associated with the greatest strength, esNote 20 · Wide-ringed wood is often called "second-growth," because the growth of the young timber in open stands after the old trees have been removeNote 21 · The effect of rate of growth on the qualities of chestnut wood is summarized by the same authority as follows: "When the rings are wide, theNote 22 · After exhaustive tests on a number of different woods the U.S. Forest Service concludes as follows: "Sapwood, except that from old, overmatuNote 23 · In the study of the hickories the conclusion was: "There is an unfounded prejudice against the heartwood. Specifications place white hickoryNote 24 · Specifications for paving blocks often require that longleaf pine be 90 per cent heart. This is on the belief that sapwood is not only more Note 25 · In specifications for structural timbers reference is sometimes made to "boxheart," meaning the inclusion of the pith or centre of the tree Note 26 · From data obtained from a large number of tests on the strength of different woods it appears that, other things being equal, the crushing sNote 27 · In species which show a distinct difference between heartwood and sapwood the natural color of heartwood is invariably darker than that of tNote 28 · Abnormal discoloration of wood often denotes a diseased condition, indicating unsoundness. The black check in western hemlock is the result Note 29 · During the development of a tree most of the limbs, especially the lower ones, die, but persist for a time—often for years. Subsequent layerNote 30 · Extensive experiments by the U.S. Forest Service33 indicate the following effects of knots on structural timbers:Note 31 · (4) Sound knots do not weaken wood when subject to compression parallel to the grain.34Note 32 · R. Hartig35 believes that freezing forces out a part of the imbibition water of the cell walls, thereby causing the wood to shrink, and if tNote 33 · A still more recent theory is that of Busse36 who considers the mechanical action of the wind a very important factor. He observed: (a) FrosNote 34 · Timbers seriously attacked by marine borers are badly weakened or completely destroyed. If the original strength of the material is to be prNote 35 · It is evident, then, that the action of rot-causing fungi is to decrease the strength of wood, rendering it unsound, brittle, and dangerous Note 36 · Dry rot develops best at 75°F. and is said to be killed by a temperature of 110°F.41 Fully 70 per cent humidity is necessary in the air in wNote 37 · All fungi require moisture and air43 for their growth. Deprived of either of these the fungus dies or ceases to develop. Just what degree ofNote 38 · Warmth is also conducive to the growth of fungi, the most favorable temperature being about 90°F. They cannot grow in extreme cold, althoughNote 39 · The fungus (Endothia parasitica And.) which causes the chestnut blight kills the trees by girdling them and has no direct effect upon the woNote 40 · The popular belief that sap is up in the spring and summer and is down in the winter has not been substantiated by experiment. There are seaNote 41 · In drying wood no increase in strength results until the free water is evaporated and the cell walls begin to dry49. This critical point hasNote 42 · The effect of temperature on wood depends very largely upon the moisture content of the wood and the surrounding medium. If absolutely dry wNote 43 · "(2) The steamed and saturated wood, when tested immediately after treatment, exhibited weaknesses in proportion to the pressure and duratioNote 44 · "(3) A high degree of steaming is injurious to wood in strength and spike-holding power. The degree of steaming at which pronounced harm resNote 45 · The exact effects of chemical impregnation upon the mechanical properties of wood have not been fully determined, though they have been the Note 46 · Soaking in creosote oil causes wood to swell, and accordingly decreases the strength to some extent, but not nearly so much so as soaking inNote 47 · Soaking in kerosene seems to have no significant weakening effect.55Note 48 · When small pieces are selected for test they very often are clear and straight-grained, and thus of so much better grade than the large sticNote 49 · In instructions for making static tests the rate of application of the stress, i.e., the speed of the machine, is given because the strengthNote 50 · Apparatus: There are several types of impact testing machines.59 One of the simplest and most efficient for use with wood is illustrated in Note 51 · Another method makes use of a sand blast to abrade the woods and is the one employed in New South Wales.60 The apparatus consists essentiallNote 52 · Various designs of test specimens have been made. The one first employed by the Division of Forestry61 was prepared as follows: Sticks were Note 53 · The difficulty of making such tests compared with the minor importance of the results is so great that they are at present omitted by the U.Note 54 · The form used by the Department of Forestry of New South Wales63 is as shown in Fig. 47. The specimen has a total length of 41 inches and is
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