Evaluation of the coefficients of mutual influence of wood through off-axis compression tests

Wood is generally considered to be an anisotropic material. In the engineering of elastic models, wood is treated as a linear orthotropic material in which the material axes (longitudinal, radial, and tangential) are coincident with the Cartesian axes. For this model, it is sufficient to determine Young’s moduli, the shear moduli and the Poisson’s ratios. In the event that this coincidence does not occur, it is necessary to analyze other elastic parameters, such as the coefficients of mutual influence in the elastic model. An evaluation of these elastic coefficients was carried out in the context of off-axis compression tests of Goupia glabra wood specimens, a Brazilian species, at different fiber angles. To demonstrate the influence of the elastic coefficients on the mechanical behavior of the wood, a cantilever beam was analyzed. The results of this study are intended to clarify the anisotropic model applied to wood.

Highlight
► We evaluate the wood elastic coefficients in the context of off-axis compression.
► We tested specimens of a Brazilian wood species at different fiber angles.
► The influence of these coefficients in the mechanical behavior of wood is verified.
► We use in this analysis a cantilever wood beam.
► The results of this work are intended to clarify the anisotropic model for wood.