Emprego de ferramentas numéricas na avaliação do módulo de elasticidade em vigas roliças de madeira

Abstract

Beams are structural elements used in the most of civil constructions. The wood can be found in several applications of engineering due to the moderate mechanical strength and low density. The use of round timber as a beam is very attractive, since it does not need to be processed, such as lumber. The design of structural timber elements requires the determination of its physical and mechanical properties in which are obtained based on the recommendations of engineering standards. In case of round timber, the national standards dealing with the determination of strength and stiffness properties are in term for more than twenty years with no technical review. Overall, both national and international standards consider truncated-cone geometry for cylindrical logs of wood, resulting in simplified equations unable to predict the effect of shape irregularities on the longitudinal modulus of elasticity. This paper aims to evaluate the effect of shape irregularity of round timber of Corymbia citriodora and Pinus caribaea to determine the longitudinal modulus of elasticity. The three-point bending test is used to determine the modulus, considering a simplified analytical model, with constant circular section for the element. The irregularities of the wood are considered in the numerical models based on a beam and three-dimensional finite elements. The results showed statistical equivalence between the modulus of elasticity for both methods of calculation, indicating that the constant circular section is a reasonable assumption for the wooden here evaluated.