Characterization of Fracturing Properties of Wood and Wood Materials Based on Fracture Mechanics-1

Abstract

Recently, wood and wood products are often used for large-scale structures, and this subject suggests that hidden defects such as crazes, crushes, and cracks tend to be contained in the wood and wood products. Therefore, it is important to obtain proper knowledge of the failure behaviors of these materials to prevent catastrophic failure of the structures, and fracture mechanics is most effective in analyzing these failure behaviors. This paper describes current progress in research on the failure behaviors of wood and wood products based on fracture mechanics, as well as concerns which are not yet sufficiently solved. © 2006, The Japan Wood Research Society. All rights reserved.