- Author
-
Ingberg, S. H.
- Title
- Compression Tests of Wood at Elevated Temperatures.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Washington, DC
- Book or Conf
- American Society for Testing and Materials. Annual Meeting. Volume 59. 1959,
1320-1329 p.,
1959
- Keywords
-
wood
|
fire tests
|
temperature measurements
|
deformation
|
weight loss
|
heating
|
moisture content
- Abstract
- This paper presents information on the effect of elevated temperatures on the compressive strength of two species of wood used for structural purposes. With initial moisture content of 7 to 9 per cent, typical for wood well-seasoned indoors, there was a loss in strength at 106 C of about 50 per cent of the strength at room temperature, with strains 50 to 100 per cent greater. At temperatures in the range 151 to 162 C there was regain in strength to about 70 per cent of that at room temperature, due apparently to shrrinkage and hardening from further loss of water. A final decline in strength was indicated at temperature near 200 C. With loads maintained for longer periods, the reduction in strength was greater. With the heat insulation given specimens inthe testing equipment, there was no sustained self-heating of wood at temperatures up to 208 C. In tests with end-point temperatures of 279 and 294 C such self-heating caused nearly full loss of strength from destructive distillation of the wood.