Micro-Tensile and Compression Strength of Scots Pine Wood and Comparison with Standard-Size Test Results

Abstract

The goal of this study was to investigate the tensile and compression strength of Scots pine wood (Pinus sylvestris L.) using micro- and standard-sized test specimens. In the standard- and micro-sized specimens, tensile strength was evaluated as 76.9 MPa and 91.5 MPa and compression strength as 43.8 MPa and 36.3 MPa, respectively. The results showed that the compression strength of the micro- sized specimens was lower compared to the standard-sized specimens, while the tensile strength was higher in the micro- sized specimens. With the exception of the effect of specimen size and individual tree interaction on tensile strength, statistically significant effects were found for specimen size, individual trees and the interactions of the size and trees on the tensile and compression strength. Moreover, regression analyses indicated a positive linear regression between the strength of micro- and standard-sized specimens. Micro-sized specimens can be used to estimate the tensile and compression strength of Scots pine wood, when it is not possible to obtain standard-size specimens.