Characterization Methods for Elastic Properties of Wood Fibers from Mats for Composite Materials

Wood fibers offer excellent specific properties at low cost and are of interest as reinforcement in composites. This work compares two alternative test methods to determine the stiffness of wood fibers from simple macroscopic tests on fiber mats. One method is compression of the fiber mat in the thickness direction, which uses a statistical micromechanical model based on first-order beam theory to describe the deformation. The other method is tensile testing of fiber mats and back calculation of the fiber stiffness with a laminate model. Experiments include compression tests and tensile stiffness index tests as well as determination of fiber content, orientation, and dimensional distribution. For mats with unbleached softwood kraft fibers, an effective value of the Young's modulus of 20.1 GPa determined by the compression method can be compared with values of 17.4-19.0 GPa obtained from tensile tests. These are in agreement with values for similar cellulosic fibers found in literature. The compression method is more appropriate for low-density fiber mats, while the tensile test works better for well-consolidated high-density fiber mats. The two methods have different ranges of applicability and are complementary to one another. Limitations of the methods are also discussed. The main advantage of the methods is that they are quantitative. The potential as stiffening reinforcement of various types of fibers can be systematically investigated, even if the fiber mat microstructures are different

Mechanical performance of yew (Taxus baccata L.) from a longbow perspective

Yew (Taxus baccata L.) longbow was the preferred weapon in the Middle Ages until the emergence of guns. In this study, the tensile, compression, and bending properties of yew were investigated. The advantage of yew over the other species in the study was also confirmed by a simple beam model. The superior toughness of yew has the effect that a yew longbow has a higher range compared with bows made from other species. Unexpectedly, the mechanical performance of a bow made from yew is influenced by the juvenile-to-mature wood ratio rather than by the heartwood-to-sapwood ratio. A yew bow is predicted to have maximized performance at a juvenile wood content of 30-50%, and located at the concave side (the compressive side facing the bowyer). Here, the stiffness and yield stress in compression should be as high as possibl

Moisture induced softening and swelling of natural cellulose fibres in composite applications

Composites based on natural cellulose fibres are susceptible to moisture. The fibres as well as the composite will inevitably soften and swell as moisture is absorbed. The intention of the present paper is to shed some light on the mechanisms behind softening and swelling. Also references to modelling work are made, to predict the moisture-induced dimensional stability. Characterisation techniques and models of such kind can be useful in choosing suitable fibres for improved moisture resistance, and identifying the main controlling parameters which affect the engineering consequences of moisture absorption. Understanding of the mechanisms and the main contributions to swelling can rationalise materials development. The examples shown in this review attempt to show the benefits by experimental mechanics and modelling in development of moisture resistant cellulose composites

On the composite design of wood branches leading to improved bending strength

Wooden branches are designed to carry large bending moments, and so are longer composite structures, e.g. rotor blades for wind turbines. Being a natural fibrous composite material, wood is made from relatively simple biopolymer building blocks. In this preliminary work, we describe the composition and structure of softwood branches, including 3D images from X-ray computed tomography. The main difference in branch structure compared with other wood tissues is the reaction wood formed on the compressive side in e.g. spruce and pine. A simple beam is used to show that maximum bending moment is multiplied several times solely from the reaction wood. This is noteworthy, since chemical composition of the reaction wood does not differ significantly from the rest of the wood. The tissue gradients in the branch resulting from variation in density, microfibrillar angle and cell geometry contribute to the strength improvements. In composite structures, sandwich design is used to improve the load carrying capacity. From a general perspective, also local features as found in wood, such as smooth gradients and controlled cellular structure, could be further explored to improve bending strength in engineered composite materials

Damage shielding mechanisms in hierarchical composites in nature with potential for design of tougher structural materials

Load-carrying materials in nature, such as wood and bone, consist of relatively simple building blocks assembled into a hierarchical structure, ranging from the molecular scale up to the macroscopic level. This results in composites with a combination of high strength and high toughness, showing very large fracture surfaces indicating energy dissipation by cracking on multiple length scales. Man-made composites instead consist typically of fibres embedded in a uniform matrix, and frequently show brittle failure through the growth of critical clusters of broken fibres. In this paper, a hierarchical structure inspired by wood is presented. It is designed to incapacitate cluster growth, with the aim of retaining high strength. This is done by introducing new structural levels of successively weaker interfaces with the purpose of reducing the stress concentrations if large clusters appear. To test this hypothesis, a probability density field of further damage growth has been calculated for different microstructures and initial crack sizes. The results indicate that the hierarchical structure should maintain its strength by localization of damage, yet rendering large clusters less harmful by weakening the resulting stress concentration to its surroundings, which would lead to an increase in strain to failure. In this context, the potential of using the biomimetic hierarchical structure in design of composite materials is discussed

Characterization of mechanical properties of Vasa oak and their application in a full-scale numerical model for support assessment

The 17th century Vasa shipwreck is a well-known object of cultural heritage. According to geodetic measurements inside and outside of the ship as well as on the support structure, the ship is sinking onto its cradle. The analysis of measurements showed the ship undergoes continued deformation with increasing strain. Previous research projects on the Vasa ship have largely been focused on the chemical degradation of the Vasa oak, which concerns the waterlogged polyethylene glycol (PEG) impregnated oak wood. The main goal was to provide understanding of the degradation mechanisms and possible remedies to mitigate the chemical decay. In this paper, a review is presented of previous research in term of characterization of mechanical properties, and effects of PEG and moisture on the mechanical behaviour of the Vasa oak. In addition, a full-scale finite-element model of the Vasa ship has been developed to assess its current and future structural behaviour, as well as a tool to design an improved support structure. The mechanical properties, defined in the model in terms of orthotropic elastic engineering constants, have been determined in previous work. Moreover, creep properties of the archaeological wood material have been and are being characterized, so that the model can be extended by extrapolation to predict future deformation. Geodetic measurements have been used for validation of the static model. The approach undertaken in this project could hopefully be useful in design strategies of improved support for other aging and deforming wood structures in cultural heritage

Mechanistic study of microstructural deformation and stress in steam-exploded softwood

Steam explosion pretreatment results in the formation of microcracks in the cell walls of wood. In the present study, steam explosion experiments were performed and structural changes in Norway spruce were identified using scanning electron microscopy. The cellular structure of the softwood spruce was simulated using the finite element method, and the effects of pressure generated during the steam explosion pretreatment on the deformation of the cells were investigated. The simulated model included earlywood, latewood, and ray cells. The effects of bordered and cross-field pits on the stresses in the cell wall were studied as well. Many similarities were observed between the microcracks in the steam-exploded wood and the high-stress regions predicted by the model. The experimental and simulation results showed that the radial cell walls in the earlywood cells experienced major deformation. The presence of the pits created stress localization and facilitated the formation of microcracks in the cell walls

An applicable orthotropic creep model for wood materials and composites

Despite the engineering importance of creep of composite materials and other fibrous anisotropic load-carrying materials like wood, there is an apparent lack in useful experimental data in 3D. Proposed creep models are generally not commensurate with realistic data from experimental characterization. In the present study, an orthotropic linear viscoelastic model is presented and examined on its performance of predicting the time-dependent nature of wood and composite materials. The constitutive equations are presented using the hereditary approach. A clear description of the finite element implementation of the material model is given. Since constant Poisson's ratios are a common assumption for viscoelastic composites due to lack of data, this study presents the effects of time-dependent Poisson's ratio in the study. The model is calibrated against inevitably asymmetric experimental creep data using an optimization approach. With time-dependent Poisson's ratios, the results show that the model is able to simultaneously capture the time-dependent behaviour in three material axis of orthotropic materials such as European beech wood and a fibre-reinforced composite. However, a relatively poor match was found when the Poisson's ratios were set to be constant. Thus, the frequently employed assumption of constant Poisson's ratios should be made with caution

Characterization of mechanical properties of Vasa oak and their application in a full-scale numerical model for support assessment

The 17th century Vasa shipwreck is a well-known object of cultural heritage. According to geodetic measurements inside and outside of the ship as well as on the support structure, the ship is sinking onto its cradle. The analysis of measurements showed the ship undergoes continued deformation with increasing strain. Previous research projects on the Vasa ship have largely been focused on the chemical degradation of the Vasa oak, which concerns the waterlogged polyethylene glycol (PEG) impregnated oak wood. The main goal was to provide understanding of the degradation mechanisms and possible remedies to mitigate the chemical decay. In this paper, a review is presented of previous research in term of characterization of mechanical properties, and effects of PEG and moisture on the mechanical behaviour of the Vasa oak. In addition, a full-scale finite-element model of the Vasa ship has been developed to assess its current and future structural behaviour, as well as a tool to design an improved support structure. The mechanical properties, defined in the model in terms of orthotropic elastic engineering constants, have been determined in previous work. Moreover, creep properties of the archaeological wood material have been and are being characterized, so that the model can be extended by extrapolation to predict future deformation. Geodetic measurements have been used for validation of the static model. The approach undertaken in this project could hopefully be useful in design strategies of improved support for other aging and deforming wood structures in cultural heritage