Mechanical properties of sweet chestnut sawn wood and glulam performance

Mechanical properties of sweet chestnut sawn wood and glulam performance | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Mechanical properties of sweet chestnut sawn wood and glulam performance Carlos Martins, Cláudio Ferreira, Sandra R.S. Monteiro, Alfredo M.P.G. Dias This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5548369/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 15 May, 2025 Read the published version in European Journal of Wood and Wood Products → Version 1 posted 6 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Sweet chestnut sawn wood is commonly found on ancient buildings across Europe. This is also evident in Portugal mainly in roof and floor structures. Knowledge about the mechanical properties of this species at that time was scarce, and it was primarily used due to its durability. If large section trees were available back then, this becomes a limitation nowadays. Engineered wood products (EWPs), such as glued laminated timber (glulam) help resolve this problem as thicker elements are used. Nevertheless, EWPs are usually made of softwoods, with standardization focused on these species. Current climate change poses challenges for industries that depend on nature, such as the timber industry. With the availability of softwood species affected, interest in hardwoods arose, and so has research. This paper focuses on experimentally characterizing chestnut sawn wood mechanical properties, such as modulus of elasticity (MOE) and strength of boards subjected to bending and tensile tests. Also, non-destructive characterization through the longitudinal vibration method (LVM) was performed. The average MOE from tension tests was about 13800 MPa, and 11100 MPa from the bending tests (24% lower than the former). The characteristic tensile strength value was 20.5 MPa, and the bending strength was 32.4 MPa. Although chestnut is a hardwood, concerning strength classes it is included in the softwood category, thus T20 and C30 strength classes for tension and bending, respectively, can be assigned. Strong correlations were found for the MOE based on the LVM. A preliminary campaign to evaluate the bending properties of glulam made from chestnut was conducted on ten specimens. A characteristic bending strength of 45.5 MPa was achieved. Good mechanical performance was observed, but enhancements are needed to ensure adequate bonding performance. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 15 May, 2025 Read the published version in European Journal of Wood and Wood Products → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Accepted 25 Apr, 2025 Reviews received at journal 24 Apr, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Apr, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 04 Apr, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 03 Apr, 2025 First submitted to journal 01 Apr, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5548369","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":447373005,"identity":"ec06acb5-c146-4a46-9997-6b827b487d98","order_by":0,"name":"Carlos Martins","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"SerQ – Innovation and Competence Forest Centre","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Carlos","middleName":"","lastName":"Martins","suffix":""},{"id":447373009,"identity":"afa39133-1614-4fb2-9514-cd9a00b85ace","order_by":1,"name":"Cláudio Ferreira","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"SerQ – Innovation and Competence Forest Centre","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Cláudio","middleName":"","lastName":"Ferreira","suffix":""},{"id":447373011,"identity":"ba8cc7db-82e7-439a-8c54-cc923d245ed3","order_by":2,"name":"Sandra R.S. 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