Influence of stiffness related to the C40 strength class of the hardwood group established by the Brazilian standard in the design of timber structures

The Brazilian standard ABNT 7190 (1997) establishes the strength classes C20, C30, C40 and C60 for the proper framework of the different wood types in the group of hardwoods. Associated with the strength class, which is based on the compressive strength characteristic value parallel to the fibers (fc0,k), the standard stipulates the respective values representing the stiffness (Ec0), with 19500 MPa being the reference value for the class C40, essential variables in structural design. For being the C40 class is the one with the greatest amplitude (20 MPa), it is possible that the value 19500 MPa is not the best representation of stiffness. This work aimed to verify the representativeness the stiffness value established by the Brazilian standard for C40 wood. The result obtained from the average confidence interval indicates the value of 14110 MPa as being the most representative, which may imply structures that are supposedly more rigid than they really are.

Application of photometry in determining the dust mass concentration of hardwoods

Given the carcinogenicity of hardwood dust, the aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the photometric method for different types of woodworking machines and its application in determining the mass concentration of inhalable dust for raw and dry hardwoods. In addition to the optical part of the device, the input part of the measuring device contains the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) inhalable dust filter holder. This correlation of gravimetric and photometric methods in determining the dust mass concentration showed that photometry underestimates the mass concentration measured gravimetrically. The results of this study recommend the application of a correction factor 2 for a timber band saw and a correction factor 3 for circular saws in determining the mass concentration of hardwood dust by the photometric method. It was showed that photometry can be used if the correction factor of the optical device has been previously tested for specific wood processing place.

Aboveground biomass basic density of hardwoods tree species

The influence of tree species on basic density of wood, bark and small-wood was investigated here. Experimental material was obtained from 73 trees of 7 tree species, namely alder (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.), beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), birch (Betula pendula Roth.), hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.), Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), Sessile oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.) and Turkey oak (Quercus cerris L.) from the territory of Slovakia. Wood and bark samples were taken from discs cut from three trunk sections and from small-wood and branch parts coming from tree crowns. The volume of green samples was measured in graduated cylinders with a precision of 1 ml; a dry matter was measured with a precision of 0.01 g. The statistically significant effect has been shown in tree species, biomass fractions and locations on the tree. The average basic density of all species varies from 440 to 650 kg.m-3 for wood, for bark it is 380-670 kg.m-3 and for small-wood outside bark it reaches 490-650 kg.m-3. Alder and Black locust tree species have the lowest and highest wood density, Black locust and Turkey oak of bark and alder and Turkey oak of small-wood.