The Mechanical Properties of Wood Part 9

Water occurs in living wood in three conditions, namely: (1) in the cell walls, (2) in the protoplasmic contents of the cells, and (3) as free water in the cell cavities and s.p.a.ces. In heartwood it occurs only in the first and last forms. Wood that is thoroughly air-dried retains from 8 to 16 per cent of water in the cell walls, and none, or practically none, in the other forms. Even oven-dried wood retains a small percentage of moisture, but for all except chemical purposes, may be considered absolutely dry.

The general effect of the water content upon the wood substance is to render it softer and more pliable. A similar effect of common observation is in the softening action of water on rawhide, paper, or cloth. Within certain limits the greater the water content the greater its softening effect.

Drying produces a decided increase in the strength of wood, particularly in small specimens. An extreme example is the case of a completely dry spruce block two inches in section, which will sustain a permanent load four times as great as that which a green block of the same size will support.

The greatest increase due to drying is in the ultimate crushing strength, and strength at elastic limit in endwise compression; these are followed by the modulus of rupture, and stress at elastic limit in cross-bending, while the modulus of elasticity is least affected. These ratios are shown in Table XV, but it is to be noted that they apply only to wood in a much drier condition than is used in practice. For air-dry wood the ratios are considerably lower, particularly in the case of the ultimate strength and the elastic limit. Stiffness (within the elastic limit), while following a similar law, is less affected. In the case of shear parallel to the grain, the general effect of drying is to increase the strength, but this is often offset by small splits and checks caused by shrinkage.

|----------------------------------------------------------------------| | TABLE XV | |----------------------------------------------------------------------| | EFFECT OF DRYING ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF WOOD, SHOWN IN | | RATIO OF INCREASE DUE TO REDUCING MOISTURE CONTENT FROM | | THE GREEN CONDITION TO KILN-DRY (3.5 PER CENT) | | (Forest Service Bul. 70, p. 89) | |----------------------------------------------------------------------| | KIND OF STRENGTH | Longleaf | Spruce | Chestnut | | | pine | | | |----------------------------+-------------+-------------+-------------| | | (1) (2) | (1) (2) | (1) (2) | | | | | | | Crushing strength parallel | | | | | to grain | 2.89 2.60 | 3.71 3.41 | 2.83 2.55 | | Elastic limit in | | | | | compression | | | | | parallel to grain | 2.60 2.34 | 3.80 3.49 | 2.40 2.26 | | Modulus of rupture in | | | | | bending | 2.50 2.20 | 2.81 2.50 | 2.09 1.82 | | Stress at elastic limit in | | | | | bending | 2.90 2.55 | 2.90 2.58 | 2.30 2.00 | | Crushing strength at right | | | | | angles to grain | | 2.58 2.48 | | | Shearing strength parallel | | | | | to grain | 2.01 1.91 | 2.03 1.95 | 1.55 1.47 | | Modulus of elasticity in | | | | | compression parallel to | | | | | grain | 1.63 1.47 | 2.26 2.08 | 1.43 1.29 | | Modulus of elasticity in | | | | | bending | 1.59 1.35 | 1.43 1.23 | 1.44 1.21 | |----------------------------------------------------------------------| | NOTE.--The figures in the first column show the relative increase in | | strength between a green specimen and a kiln-dry specimen of equal | | size. The figures in the second column show the relative increase of | | strength of the same block after being dried from a green condition | | to 3.5 per cent moisture, correction having been made for shrinkage. | | That is, in the first column the strength values per actual unit of | | area are used; in the second the values per unit of area of green | | wood which shrinks to smaller size when dried. | | | | See also Cir. 108, Fig. 1, p. 8. | |----------------------------------------------------------------------|

The moisture content has a decided bearing also upon the manner in which wood fails. In compression tests on very dry specimens the entire piece splits suddenly into pieces before any buckling takes place (see Fig. 9.), while with wet material the block gives way gradually, due to the buckling or bending of the walls of the fibres along one or more shearing planes. (See Fig. 14.) In bending tests on wet beams, first failure occurs by compression on top of the beam, gradually extending downward toward the neutral axis. Finally the beam ruptures at the bottom. In the case of very dry beams the failure is usually by splitting or tension on the under side (see Fig. 17.), without compression on the upper, and is often sudden and without warning, and even while the load is still increasing. The effect varies somewhat with different species, chestnut, for example, becoming more brittle upon drying than do ash, hemlock, and longleaf pine. The tensile strength of wood is least affected by drying, as a rule.

In drying wood no increase in strength results until the free water is evaporated and the cell walls begin to dry[49]. This critical point has been called the _fibre-saturation point_.

(See Fig. 24.) Conversely, after the cell walls are saturated with water, any increase in the amount of water absorbed merely fills the cavities and intercellular s.p.a.ces, and has no effect on the mechanical properties. Hence, soaking green wood does not lessen its strength unless the water is heated, whereupon a decided weakening results.

[Footnote 49: The wood of _Eucalyptus globulus_ (blue gum) appears to be an exception to this rule. Tiemann says: "The wood of blue gum begins to shrink immediately from the green condition, even at 70 to 90 per cent moisture content, instead of from 30 or 25 per cent as in other species of hardwoods."

Proc. Soc. Am. For., Washington, Vol. VIII, No. 3, Oct., 1913, p. 313.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 24.--Relation of the moisture content to the various strength values of spruce. FSP = fibre-saturation point.]

The strengthening effects of drying, while very marked in the case of small pieces, may be fully offset in structural timbers by inherent weakening effects due to the splitting apart of the wood elements as a result of irregular shrinkage, and in some cases also to the slitting of the cell walls (see Fig. 25).

Consequently with large timbers in commercial use it is unsafe to count upon any greater strength, even after seasoning, than that of the green or fresh condition.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 25.--Cross section of the wood of western larch showing fissures in the thick-walled cells of the late wood. Highly magnified. _Photo by U. S. Forest Service._]

In green wood the cells are all intimately joined together and are at their natural or normal size when saturated with water.

The cell walls may be considered as made up of little particles with water between them. When wood is dried the films of water between the particles become thinner and thinner until almost entirely gone. As a result the cell walls grow thinner with loss of moisture,--in other words, the cell shrinks.

It is at once evident that if drying does not take place uniformly throughout an entire piece of timber, the shrinkage as a whole cannot be uniform. The process of drying is from the outside inward, and if the loss of moisture at the surface is met by a steady capillary current of water from the inside, the shrinkage, so far as the degree of moisture affected it, would be uniform. In the best type of dry kilns this condition is approximated by first heating the wood thoroughly in a moist atmosphere before allowing drying to begin.

In air-seasoning and in ordinary dry kilns this condition too often is not attained, and the result is that a dry sh.e.l.l is formed which encloses a moist interior. (See Fig. 26.) Subsequent drying out of the inner portion is rendered more difficult by this "case-hardened" condition. As the outer part dries it is prevented from shrinking by the wet interior, which is still at its greatest volume. This outer portion must either check open or the fibres become strained in tension. If this outer sh.e.l.l dries while the fibres are thus strained they become "set" in this condition, and are no longer in tension. Later when the inner part dries, it tends to shrink away from the hardened outer sh.e.l.l, so that the inner fibres are now strained in tension and the outer fibres are in compression. If the stress exceeds the cohesion, numerous cracks open up, producing a "honey-combed" condition, or "hollow-horning," as it is called. If such a case-hardened stick of wood be resawed, the two halves will cup from the internal tension and external compression, with the concave surface inward.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 26.--Progress of drying throughout the length of a chestnut beam, the black spots indicating the presence of free water in the wood. The first section at the left was cut one-fourth inch from the end, the next one-half inch, the next one inch, and all the others one inch apart. The ill.u.s.tration shows case-hardening very clearly. _Photo by U. S.

Forest Service._]

For a given surface area the loss of water from wood is always greater from the ends than from the sides, due to the fact that the vessels and other water-carriers are cut across, allowing ready entrance of drying air and outlet for the water vapor.

Water does not flow out of boards and timbers of its own accord, but must be evaporated, though it may be forced out of very sappy specimens by heat. In drying a log or pole with the bark on, most of the water must be evaporated through the ends, but in the case of peeled timbers and sawn boards the loss is greatest from the surface because the area exposed is so much greater.

The more rapid drying of the ends causes local shrinkage, and were the material sufficiently plastic the ends would become bluntly tapering. The rigidity of the wood substance prevents this and the fibres are split apart. Later, as the remainder of the stick dries many of the checks will come together, though some of the largest will remain and even increase in size as the drying proceeds. (See Fig. 27.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 27.--Excessive season checking. _Photo by U.

S. Forest Service._]

A wood cell shrinks very little lengthwise. A dry wood cell is, therefore, practically of the same length as it was in a green or saturated condition, but is smaller in cross section, has thinner walls, and a larger cavity. It is at once evident that this fact makes shrinkage more irregular, for wherever cells cross each other at a decided angle they will tend to pull apart upon drying. This occurs wherever pith rays and wood fibres meet. A considerable portion of every wood is made up of these rays, which for the most part have their cells lying in a radial direction instead of longitudinally. (See Frontispiece.) In pine, over 15,000 of these occur on a square inch of a tangential section, and even in oak the very large rays which are readily visible to the eye as flakes on quarter-sawed material represent scarcely one per cent of the number which the microscope reveals.

A pith ray shrinks in height and width, that is, vertically and tangentially as applied to the position in a standing tree, but very little in length or radially. The other elements of the wood shrink radially and tangentially, but almost none lengthwise or vertically as applied to the tree. Here, then, we find the shrinkage of the rays tending to shorten a stick of wood, while the other cells resist it, and the tendency of a stick to get smaller in circ.u.mference is resisted by the endwise reaction or thrust of the rays. Only in a tangential direction, or around the stick in direction of the annual rings of growth, do the two forces coincide. Another factor to the same end is that the denser bands of late wood are continuous in a tangential direction, while radially they are separated by alternate zones of less dense early wood. Consequently the shrinkage along the rings (tangential) is fully twice as much as toward the centre (radial). (See Table XIV.) This explains why some cracks open more and more as drying advances. (See Fig.

27.)

Although actual shrinkage in length is small, nevertheless the tendency of the rays to shorten a stick produces strains which are responsible for some of the splitting open of ties, posts, and sawed timbers with box heart. At the very centre of a tree the wood is light and weak, while farther out it becomes denser and stronger. Longitudinal shrinkage is accordingly least at the centre and greater toward the outside, tending to become greatest in the sapwood. When a round or a box-heart timber dries fast it splits radially, and as drying continues the cleft widens partly on account of the greater tangential shrinkage and also because the greater contraction of the outer fibres warps the sections apart. If a small hardwood stem is split while green for a short distance at the end and placed where it can dry out rapidly, the sections will become bow-shaped with the concave sides out. These various facts, taken together, explain why, for example, an oak tie, pole, or log may split open its entire length if drying proceeds rapidly and far enough. Initial stresses in the living trees produce a similar effect when the log is sawn into boards. This is especially so in _Eucalyptus globulus_ and to a less extent with any rapidly grown wood.

The use of S-shaped thin steel clamps to prevent large checks and splits is now a common practice in this country with crossties and poles as it has been for a long time in European countries. These devices are driven into the b.u.t.ts of the timbers so as to cross incipient checks and prevent their widening. In place of the regular S-hook another of crimped iron has been devised. (See Fig. 28.) Thin straps of iron with one tapered edge are run between intermeshing cogs and crimped, after which they may be cut off any length desired. The time for driving S-irons of either form is when the cracks first appear.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 28.--Control of season checking by the use of S-irons. _Photo by U. S. Forest Service._]

The tendency of logs to split emphasizes the importance of converting them into planks or timbers while in a green condition. Otherwise the presence of large checks may render much lumber worthless which might have been cut out in good condition. The loss would not be so great if logs were perfectly straight-grained, but this is seldom the case, most trees growing more or less spirally or irregularly. Large pieces crack more than smaller ones, quartered lumber less than that sawed through and through, thin pieces, especially veneers, less than thicker boards.

In order to prevent cracks at the ends of boards, small straps of wood may be nailed on them or they may be painted. This method is usually considered too expensive, except in the case of valuable material. Squares used for shuttles, furniture, gun-stocks, and tool handles should always be protected at the ends. One of the best means is to dip them into melted paraffine, which seals the ends and prevents loss of moisture there. Another method is to glue paper on the ends. In some cases abroad paper is glued on to all the surfaces of valuable exotic balks. Other substances sometimes employed for the purpose of sealing the wood are grease, carbolineum, wax, clay, petroleum, linseed oil, tar, and soluble gla.s.s. In place of solid beams, built-up material is often preferable, as the disastrous results of season checks are thereby largely overcome or minimized.

TEMPERATURE

The effect of temperature on wood depends very largely upon the moisture content of the wood and the surrounding medium. If absolutely dry wood is heated in absolutely dry air the wood expands. The extent of this expansion is denoted by a coefficient corresponding to the increase in length or other dimensions for each degree rise in temperature divided by the original length or other dimension of the specimen. The coefficient of linear expansion of oak has been found to be .00000492; radial expansion, .0000544, or about eleven times the longitudinal. Spruce expands less than oak, the ratio of radial to longitudinal expansion being about six to one. Metals and gla.s.s expand equally in all directions, since they are h.o.m.ogeneous substances, while wood is a complicated structure.

The coefficient of expansion of iron is .0000285, or nearly six times the coefficient of linear expansion of oak and seven times that of spruce[50].

[Footnote 50: See Schlich's Manual of Forestry, Vol. V. (rev.

ed.), p. 75.]

Under ordinary conditions wood contains more or less moisture, so that the application of heat has a drying effect which is accompanied by shrinkage. This shrinkage completely obscures the expansion due to the heating.

Experiments made at the Yale Forest School revealed the effect of temperature on the crushing strength of wet wood. In the case of wet chestnut wood the strength decreases 0.42 per cent for each degree the water is heated above 60 F.; in the case of spruce the decrease is 0.32 per cent.

The effects of high temperature on wet wood are very marked.

Boiling produces a condition of great pliability, especially in the case of hardwoods. If wood in this condition is bent and allowed to dry, it rigidly retains the shape of the bend, though its strength may be somewhat reduced. Except in the case of very dry wood the effect of cold is to increase the strength and stiffness of wood. The freezing of any free water in the pores of the wood will augment these conditions.

The effect of steaming upon the strength of cross-ties was investigated by the U.S. Forest Service in 1904. The conclusions were summarized as follows:

"(1) The steam at pressure up to 40 pounds applied for 4 hours, or at a pressure of 20 pounds up to 20 hours, increases the weight of ties. At 40 pounds' pressure applied for 4 hours and at 20 pounds for 5 hours the wood began to be scorched.

"(2) The steamed and saturated wood, when tested immediately after treatment, exhibited weaknesses in proportion to the pressure and duration of steaming. (See Table XVI.) If allowed to air-dry subsequently the specimens regained the greater part of their strength, provided the pressure and duration had not exceeded those cited under (1). Subsequent immersion in water of the steamed wood and dried specimens showed that they were weaker than natural wood similarly dried and resoaked."[51]

[Footnote 51: Cir. 39. Experiments on the strength of treated timber, p. 18.]

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | TABLE XVI | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | EFFECT OF STEAMING ON THE STRENGTH OF GREEN LOBLOLLY PINE | | (Forest Service, Cir. 39) | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Cylinder conditions | Strength | | |---------------------------------+--------------------------------------------| | | Steaming | Static | Impact | | | |---------------------------------+---------------------+----------| Average | | Treatment | | | | Bending | Compres- | Height | of the | | | | | | modulus | sion | of drop | three | | | Period | Pressure | Temperature | of | parallel | causing | strengths | | | | | | rupture | to grain | complete | | | | | | | | | failure | | |-----------+--------+----------+-------------+----------+----------+----------+-----------| | | | Lbs. per | | Per cent | Per cent | Per cent | Per cent | | | Hrs. | sq. inch | F. | | | | | | | | | | Untreated wood = 100% | | | | | | | | | | | Steam, | 4 | | 230[a] | 91.3 | 79.1 | 96.4 | 88.9 | | at | 4 | 10 | 238 | 78.2 | 93.7 | 93.3 | 88.4 | | various | 4 | 20 | 253 | 83.3 | 84.2 | 91.4 | 80.8 | | pressures | 4 | 30 | 269 | 80.4 | 78.4 | 89.8 | 82.9 | | | 4 | 40 | 283 | 78.1 | 74.4 | 74.0 | 75.5 | | | 4 | 50 | 292 | 75.8 | 71.5 | 63.9 | 70.4 | | | 4 | 100 | 337 | 41.4 | 65.0 | 55.2 | 53.9 | |-----------+--------+----------+-------------+----------+----------+----------+-----------| | Steam, | 1 | 20 | 257 | 100.6 | 98.6 | 86.7 | 95.3 | | for | 2 | 20 | 267 | 88.4 | 93.0 | 107.0 | 96.1 | | various | 3 | 20 | 260 | 90.0 | 93.6 | 84.1 | 89.2 | | periods | 4 | 20 | 253 | 83.3 | 84.2 | 91.4 | 86.3 | | | 5 | 20 | 253 | 85.0 | 78.1 | 84.2 | 82.4 | | | 6 | 20 | 242 | 95.2 | 89.8 | 76.0 | 87.0 | | | 10 | 20 | 255 | 73.7 | 82.0 | 76.0 | 77.2 | | | 20 | 20 | 258 | 67.5 | 65.0 | 99.0 | 77.2 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | [Footnote a: It will be noted that the temperature was 230. This is the maximum | | temperature by the maximum-temperature recording thermometer, and is due to the handling | | of the exhaust valve. The average temperature was that of exhaust steam.] | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

"(3) A high degree of steaming is injurious to wood in strength and spike-holding power. The degree of steaming at which p.r.o.nounced harm results will depend upon the quality of the wood and its degree of seasoning, and upon the pressure (temperature) of steam and the duration of its application. For loblolly pine the limit of safety is certainly 30 pounds for 4 hours, or 20 pounds for 6 hours."[52]

[Footnote 52: _Ibid._, p. 21. See also Cir. 108, p. 19, table 5.]

Experiments made at the Yale Forest School showed that steaming above 30 pounds' gauge pressure reduces the strength of wood permanently while wet from 25 to 75 per cent.

PRESERVATIVES

The exact effects of chemical impregnation upon the mechanical properties of wood have not been fully determined, though they have been the subject of considerable investigation.[53] More depends upon the method of treatment than upon the preservatives used. Thus preliminary steaming at too high pressure or for too long a period will materially weaken the wood, (See TEMPERATURE, above.)

[Footnote 53: Hatt, W. K.: Experiments on the strength of treated timber. Cir. 39, U.S. Forest Service, 1906, p. 31.]