Effect of a longitudinal cut on the mechanical properties of small-diameter roundwood of Pinus nigra Arnold

Abstract

The use of roundwood in structures has drawbacks that include tapering and lack of flatness, which can be overcome by making a longitudinal cut to flatten one side. The aim of this work was to compare the mechanical behavior of roundwood vs. roundwood with one flat face, comparing pieces of small-diameter roundwood from young trees of Pinus nigra Arnold. Half the samples were given a longitudinal cut. Specimens taken from these pieces were tested for bending and compression parallel to the grain to determine their modulus of elasticity and strength. The modulus of rupture by bending was 22% lower in roundwood with one flat face (59.0 MPa) than in roundwood (75.6 MPa). It has been observed that the smaller cross section in the roundwood with one flat face is not the only explanation for the decrease in the bending strength. In contrast, no significant differences were observed for the other three mechanical properties studied (compression strength parallel to the grain and modulus of elasticity in bending and compression).