Moisture, drying, and testing come alive in this practical guide to wood’s strength.
Learn how water content changes how wood behaves under pressure, bending, and shear, and how to read test results to estimate performance in real structures.
The book combines experimental findings with clear explanations of factors that affect mechanical properties, including how green and kiln-dried wood differ, what case-hardening means, and why size and defects matter in structural timbers. It also explains how drying can both improve and weaken different strength measures, and why safe working stresses can’t always be predicted from small, green samples.
- How moisture content shifts crushing, bending, and compression values
- What fibre-saturation means and why it matters for strength
- How drying, shrinkage, and case-hardening affect wood behavior in real use
- How to interpret testing data across species and specimen sizes
Ideal for readers of technical wood science, timber engineering, and materials testing who want practical guidance grounded in observed wood behavior.