INFORMATION SHEET No. 2.

1-2
Mechanical Properties of Lumber
Basic understanding of mechanical properties of lumber is necessary for
concrete formwork design. Wood is different from any other structural material
in that allowable stresses of wood are different according to the orientation of the
wood.
A. Bending Stresses
The figure below shows a
simply supported wood beam with
a concentrated load applied at the
midpoint. This process results in
bending. The Lumber is stressed
internally to resist the external
loads. Bending in a member
causes tension forces in the
extreme fibers along the side
closest to the applied load. The
maximum stress induced in the
fibers which occurs at the edges,
is referred to as the “extreme fiber
stress in bending”. This stress is
highly dependent on the parallel-
to-grain strength of the wood in
both tension and compression.

B. Modulus of Elasticity (MOE)

Modulus of elasticity is a
measure of stiffness. This factor
(MOE) is a relationship between
the amount of deflection in the
member and the value of load
applied that causes the deflection. The amount of deflection depends on
the size of the member, the span between the supports, the load, and the
particular member specie of wood. The parallel-to-grain MOE (i.e., the
stiffness when wood is pushed or pulled parallel to the wood grain) is about
30 times greater than the perpendicular-to-grain MOE.
C. Tensile and Compressive Strengths
Tensile strength is a measure of the ability of wood to resist pulling
forces. On the other hand, compressive strength is a measure of the ability
of wood to resist pushing forces. For clear wood (wood without defects),
the tensile and compressive strengths for parallel-to-grain loads are
approximately 10 times greater than for loads applied perpendicular to the
wood grain.