Comparing length effect models for lumber tensile strength

Laboratory research has confirmed the existence of a length effect on lumber tensile strength. This effect of specimen length on tensile strength needs to be considered in Monte Carlo simulation models that predict the reliability of engineered wood structures. Three tensile strength-length effect models are reviewed and compared. These models assume each piece of lumber is comprised of smaller contiguous segments. One model assumes statistical independence between segment properties and the other two models characterize the spatial correlation between localized modulus of elasticity and tensile strength. All of the models predict a reduction in tensile strength as lumber length increases; however, the model that assumed statistical independence among localized tensile strengths predicted the greatest reduction. The models that preserve the correlation among localized lumber properties appeared to predict long-span tensile strength better than the independent segment model.

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