FACTORS AFFECTING STRENGTH OF TIMBER\

 Density
 Moisture Content
 Temperature
 Position in tree
 Condition of growth

1. DENSITY

Density of wood is defined as the mass or

weight per unit volume.

Moisture in wood has a very large effect on

the specific gravity as well as the density.

Timbers of young tree has a very low density,

therefore reduced stresses used for such
material.

Weight of timber reduced by drying while

most strength properties are increased.

The higher the density, so the higher it’s

mechanical properties.
 2. MOISTURE CONTENT

Moisture content in a living tree varies with the species.

Even in the same species, variation in moisture content depends on the age & size
of the tree and its location.

Mechanical properties of wood influenced by moisture content but modulus

elasticity is less affected by changes in moisture

Strength of wood increase as the moisture

content decreases

Moisture content determined by oven-dry method or by electric moisture-meter

method

Drying of timber from the green condition as cut to constructional usable content
of say, 18% moisture content will cause shrinkage.

3. TEMPERATURE

Strength of timber decreases, together with increasing temperature

Permanent loss of strength may happen if wood is held at high temperature for a
long period.

4. POSITION IN TREE

In the early tree’s life, wood often tends to become stronger with increasing distance
from the pith

5. CONDITION OF GROWTH
Environmental factor such as height above the sea level, temperature, type of soil,
rainfall, spacing between the trees have effect on the strength of the properties of the
timber
2. IMPORTANCE OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF WOOD

Definition

The mechanical properties of wood are its fitness and ability to resist applied or extnal
forces

The mechanical properties of wood considered are

a. Tensile Strength
b. Compressive or crushing
c. Shearing strength
d. Hardness
e. cleavability

1. Tensile Strength

The tensile strength of wood parallel to the grain depends upon the strength of the fibers
and is affected not only by nature and dimensions of the wood element but also by their
arrangement.

2. Compressive or crushing strength

It very closely related to harness and transverse shear.

There are two ways in which wood is subjected to stress of this kind, namely, with the
load acting over the entire area of the specimen, with a load concentrated over a portion
of the area.

3. Shearing strength

Whenever forces act upon a body in such a way that on portion tends to slide upon
another adjacent to it the action is called a shear. In wood the shearing action may be,
along the grain, across the grain.
 4. Hardness

The term hardness is used in two sense,

Resistance to indentation and resistance to abrasion or scratching.

In the latter sense harness combined with toughness is a measure of a measure of

wearing ability of wood and is an important consideration in the use of wood for floors,
paving blocks, bearing, and rollers.

5. cleavability

cleavability is the term used to denote the facility with which wood is split. A splitting stress
is one in which the forces act normally like a wedge.