TUM researchers recommend new EU standards for machine strength grading of timber

Saturday, March 12, 2011 - 10:00 in Earth & Climate

The natural product wood grows in locations with different climate, soil and environmental conditions. These differences influence its properties as construction material: 'Scandinavian spruce, for instance, has smaller knots and lower raw densities than spruce coming from central Europe, and this results in different strength and stiffness values,' explains Professor Jan-Willem van de Kuilen from the Department of Wood Technology at TUM. That is why, to ensure the stability of wooden structures, timber must be strength graded before it is used. So far, grading is predominantly visual, i.e. according to visible attributes influencing strength, e.g. the proportion of knots, which reduce wood stability, or discolourations indicative of fungi...

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