THE PAPUA NEW GUINEA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CE 211 – INTRODUCTION TO STRUCTURES

Experiment No. 5
Static Bending Test on a Timber Specimen

GROUP 4 Participants:

Eddie BOWOKU 22300334

Jessy ATUARA 22300036
Jeremiah HONDENE 22300074
Collin CHRIS 19302159

Date of experiment: 04/05/2023 BECV – 2

Due date: 22/05/2023

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction……………………………………………………………. 3
Theory…………………………………………………………………..4
Measurement Methods………………………………………………….5
Equipment………………………………………………………………6
Procedure……………………………………………………………….6
Results and Discussions………………………………………………...6
Recommendations and Conclusion……………………………………..13

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Experiment 05: Static Bending Test on a Timber Specimen

Introduction
There are many different materials used in the construction of structures in the modern
industrial age like metals, concrete, stones, and wood. While consisting of different
characteristics and chemical properties, all these mentioned materials have their strengths and
weaknesses in different environments and extreme weather conditions.
Timber or wood has its advantages and disadvantages but like steel and other strong metals,
there are similar desirable mechanical properties of timber that engineers find useful in
designing structures. Some of these mechanical properties or characteristics are density
(depending on species, some timber densities are almost identical to steel and other metals),
strength (varies with species, grain orientation, and moisture content), stiffness (Modulus of
Elasticity), hardness (also varies between wood species), toughness and creep.
Another reason for using wood in construction is that there is an unlimited abundance of
material around the world, which makes it much cheaper to obtain than producing steel in
factories. Wood is not only useful and cheaper, but it is much safer to handle than steel or other
construction materials. It is not only safe in terms of human handling but also safe for the
environment because it is a naturally occurring material meaning that after it has been used it
can simply be recycled into the environment. In other words, wood is biodegradable making it
safe for the natural environment.
The bending experiment that was conducted was aimed specifically to test the specimen of
wood (Taun specimen) for its strength and stiffness characteristics. While performing the
experiment (as will be further discussed in this report), some important data was collected that
would be used to calculate the modulus of elasticity and the modulus of rupture of the timber
specimen.

Figure 1. Timber specimen under single point load from UTS machine

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Theory
The bending test experiment is a well-known procedure that is widely conducted (throughout
other parts of the world) in order to determine the mechanical properties of the types of different
timber specimens and how they can provide the most suitable properties required for their
particular purpose. The experiment mainly focuses on how the timber can withstand increased
weights until fracture, this is done to determine the maximum allowable load per timber piece.
For the case of this experiment, the dimensions of width-wise and depth-wise are width of
61.08mm and depth of 43.4mm, and width of 61.42mm and 42.42mm depth respectively.
The purpose of the experiment was to record the different elongation readings through the use
of the dial gauge (multiplying reading by the conversion factor of 0.01) at every interval of
2kN load applied at the center of the specimen span. The recorded information would then be
used to determine the modulus of elasticity and modulus of fracture of the specimen under the
width-wise and depth-wise loads. The results obtained would then be used to generate graphs
to assist further analysis of the behavior of that species of wood (Taun) under certain loads.
This information would then be used to assist in structural analysis and designing of beams for
different purposes and applications in the real world.
Elasticity is the elastic behavior of the wood specimen that is observed when small
deformations occur on its surface that cause it to bend out of shape. when that elasticity has
reached its maximum limit, the deformation that continues is plastic deformation which means
the specimen will not return to its normal position or shape but is permanently deformed. A
little while later the fracture occurs, and the wood specimen is damaged beyond repair. The
relationship between stress, elasticity and the strain are described using Hooke’s law which is
as follows:

𝜎 = 𝐸Ɛ where 𝜎 = 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛

𝐸 = 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦
Ɛ = 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒

𝜎 𝑃𝐿3
𝐸= = 4𝑏ℎ3𝛿 where: 𝑃 = 𝑚𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛
Ɛ

𝐿 = 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑛 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑠

𝑏 = 𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛
ℎ = ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛
𝛿 = 𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑡 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑢𝑟𝑒

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Modulus of rupture is also known as the bending stress of the of the specimen and it is
basically the maximum stress the material can take before fracture takes place. The MOR is
found by applying increasing loads on the specimen until failure. The formula for finding MOR
is as follows:

𝟑𝑷𝑳
𝝈𝒓 = 𝟐𝒃𝒉𝟐 where: 𝑃 = 𝑚𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛

𝐿 = 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑠

𝑏 = 𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛
ℎ = 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛

Moisture content of the specimen is found using the following:

𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑒𝑡 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒−𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒

𝑚𝑐 = 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒

𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑
𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ = 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔

Measurement Methods
In measurement methods we will discuss the measurement technique, equipment used and the
procedures employed.

Measurement technique
Performing static bending tests on timber specimen requires you having a basic understanding
on how the Torsee Universal Testing Machine (UTM) works and how to operate it. The dial
gauge is used for measuring centre deflections and it should be read with thorough sight to
achieve a precise reading.

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Equipment

- Torsee Universal Testing Machine (UTM)

- Bending rig (with swivel end reactions)
- Timber bearing block (for single point load)
- Dial gauge
- Specimen (Hardwood with span length of 700 mm)

Procedures employed.
There were two timber specimens used (both hardwood) to conduct static bending tests and
observe the difference in behaviour between depth-wise and width-wise loading. Firstly, we
measured the cross-sectional dimensions of the timber specimens and the span between the
support.
Now two timber specimens were going to be tested – one was placed width-wise and the other
tested depth-wise. The first timber was placed width-wise on the supports. On the supports it
has a single point loading that is applied on the timber and the bending base which acted as a
support for the timber.
Once the timber specimen was in placed, increments of 2 kN force was applied. The central
deflection caused at every 2 kN load was recorded. After the first timber specimen as undergone
deflection, the second timber specimen was placed depth-wise and likewise at load increments
of 2 kN.
Lastly, after completing the static bending test of the timber specimens, we measured the
moisture content of the specimens with the help of the Lab Instructor, Mr. Sebron Hiob. (NB:
The operation of the moisture content takes about 4-5 hours; therefore, the observation was
continued by Mr. Sebron Hiob.

Results and Discussion

Width - wise Depth - wise

Load (kN) Deflection (mm) Load (kN) Deflection (mm)

2 271 2 170
4 597 4 386
6 993 6 685
8 1575 8 1050.7
10 2501 10 1369
12 3283 12 2161

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Testing for the moisture content in the hardwood timber (Taun) specimen.

• # of specimen tested: Two (2)

• Timber species: Taun (Hardwood)
• Cut pieces cross-sectional dimensions: width-wise (150.00mmx61.08mmx43.40mm)
depth-wise (150.00mmx61.42x42.42mm)
• Testing method: Determination of moisture content by oven-dry method
• Duration of drying: 1600 – 2400 hours at 100 ⁰C

The calculation of the moisture content was done as follows:

𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑒𝑡 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒−𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑟𝑦 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒
𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑡ℎ − 𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒 (𝑚𝑐) = 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑟𝑦 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒

330−286
= 286

= 0.157

338−295
𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑡ℎ − 𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒 (𝑚𝑐) = 295

= 0.146

To determine the density of the wet and dry specimen the process was done as follows:

𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 (𝑤𝑒𝑡)
Width – wise density 𝜎 = 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒

330(𝑔)
= (150∗61.08∗43.4)𝑚𝑚2
330𝑔
= 8937630.8𝑚𝑚3
𝑔
= 8.3 ∗ 10−4 ⁄𝑚𝑚3

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 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 (𝑑𝑟𝑦)
𝜎= 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒
286𝑔
= 397630.8𝑚𝑚3
𝑔
= 7.2 ∗ 10−4 ⁄𝑚𝑚3

𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 (𝑤𝑒𝑡)
Depth – wise 𝜎 = 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒
338𝑔
= (150∗61.42∗42.42)𝑚𝑚3
338𝑔
= 390815.46𝑚𝑚3
𝑔
= 8.6 ∗ 10−4 ⁄𝑚𝑚3

𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 (𝑑𝑟𝑦)
𝜎= 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒
295𝑔
= 390815.46𝑚𝑚3
𝑔
= 7.5 ∗ 10−4 ⁄𝑚𝑚3

Calculating the modulus of elasticity of the hardwood specimen,

Width – wise:
𝑃𝐿3
𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 (𝐸) = 4𝑏ℎ3𝛿

12∗7003
= 4∗61.08∗43.43∗32.83

= 6.28 𝑘𝑁⁄𝑚𝑚2

Depth – wise:
12∗70003
𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 (𝐸) = 12∗61.42∗42.423∗21.61

= 10.16 𝑘𝑁⁄𝑚𝑚2

Calculating the modulus of fracture for the hardwood specimen,

Width – wise:
3𝑃𝐿
𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝜎𝑟 = 2𝑏ℎ2
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 3∗12∗700
= 2∗61.08∗43.42

= 0.1095 𝑘𝑁⁄𝑚𝑚2

Depth – wise:
3∗12∗700
𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑢𝑝𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝜎𝑟 = 2∗61.42∗42.422

= 0.114 𝑘𝑁⁄𝑚𝑚2

And the compressive strength of the hardwood specimen is calculated as,

Width – wise:
𝑚𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑 (𝑃
𝑚𝑎𝑥 )
𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝜎 = 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

12𝑘𝑁
= (61.08∗5)𝑚𝑚2

= 0.039 𝑘𝑁⁄𝑚𝑚2

Depth – wise:
12𝑘𝑁
𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝜎 = (42.42∗5)𝑚𝑚2

= 0.057 𝑘𝑁⁄𝑚𝑚2

Since the experiment was done on only one specimen of hardwood (Taun) the comparison
made will be for that specimen’s wet and dry states.
Width – wise: Depth – wise:
Wet : Dry Wet : Dry
8.3 7.2 8.6 7.5
∶ ∶
7.2 7.2 7.5 7.5

1.15 ∶ 1 1.14 ∶ 1

• From the calculations of the densities and the ratio that each state (wet and dry) has, it
is clear and logical that as the moisture content increases in the specimen, the denser it
becomes or the stronger it gets. This added moisture also increases the weight of the
wood or timber therefore making it tougher. But from the ratio, noticeable but very little
difference in density is observed when the specimen is dried (for moth width – wise
and depth – wise) meaning that the moisture content only has a limited added strength.
This could be that the specimen is already dense due to the fact that all hardwood timber is of
high density by nature compared to their softwood counterpart. If there was a second
experiment for a softwood specimen, the results would have been very different as softwood

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would have much less density and the material would reach fracture point much more sooner
in the experiment than hardwood. The maximum load would be around 6kN to 8kN.
• Flexure tests or bending tests are used to observe the tensile strength of certain
materials. Although it is a globally recommended tensile test procedure, there are some
disadvantages and advantages to the test and they are as follows:

Advantages:

1. Simplicity
They are simple and cost effective to conduct compared to the more traditional tensile
tests. They require less equipment and can be performed using a standard testing
machine or a simple apparatus

2. Non – destructive nature

These types of tests do not cause the specimen to completely fail or fracture, therefore,
the material is maintained without being fully damaged.

3. Applicable to brittle materials

They are useful for testing the tensile strength of brittle materials, which are more prone
to fracture when tested using the traditional tensile tests.

4. Relate to real life conditions.

In reality, materials face bending or flexural stresses rather than direct tensile forces,
therefore the flexure tests provide the real life conditions that the materials face. This
increases he amount of knowledge needed to correctly use the materials in real life
practices outside the lab.

Disadvantages:

❖ Complex stress distribution

The stress distribution in the flexure tests are more complicated than the normal stress
distribution. The maximum tensile stress occurs at the surface of the specimen farthest
from the neutral axis while the inner layer experiences compressive stresses.

❖ Specimen size and geometry limitations

The dimensions and shape of the specimen can have an influence on the test results.
The selection of correct specimen shape and size is crucial to ensure accurate and
representative measurements.

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 ❖ Lower tensile strength values
Flexure tensile tests usually yield low tensile strength values compared to direct tensile
tests. This is due to the direct stress concentration that occurs at the specimens surface
during flexure, leading to premature failure at lower loads.

❖ Lack of standardized procedure:

This type of procedure unlike tensile tests, often lack standardized procedures, which
can lead to variations in test results.

• In the result of the modulus of elasticity and the modulus of rupture, it can be seen that
the modulus of elasticity generates a higher value compared to the modulus of rupture.
Remember that the modulus of elasticity is the represented by the straight line on the
graph where there are allowable elastic properties in the material still present, that is
before permanent deformation occurs.
• However, in the case of the modulus of rupture, that is after plastic deformation occurs
and the specimen is reaching fracture point, that is why less force is required in this
section of the deformation stage especially for wood because its particles are much less
compressed when compared to metals.

• In the observation of the specimen there were noticeable limits that the experiment had
in terms of providing a larger or broader perspective of the application of different types
of point loads that were to be experienced by the span of the specimen. Some of the
pros and cons of the experiment are further discussed below.

Advantages:
❖ The experiment gives precise and more simple readings for the maximum load applied
because the single load applied is centered in the middle of the specimen therefore
allowing ease of defining the distributed load across the span of the specimen.
❖ The single point load also allows for a better observation of the internal bending
moment as well as a clear perception of the compressive and tensile stresses across the
internal grain of the timber specimen and how these factors display the elastic and
plastic deformation of the specific material, especially wood.
Disadvantages:
❖ The experiment results are only valid for shorter specimens and hence shorter lengths
of the same material when applied in real world applications as the experiment
represents real world applications of the same ratio or proportion of material length or
span. For example, a 1m length of timber specimen may possibly best represent a 2m
to 3m length of timber used as a floor joist in construction but no more than 3m.
❖ Single point loading limits the scope of the experiment and does not allow for a broader
perspective in terms of a more lengthy timber piece as used in many building
applications that usually require more than a single point of loads per allowable length.
For example, the floor joist of a part of a house that is subjected to several point loads
at a time (live loads and sometimes dead loads), for instance, a kitchen or veranda where
there are usually more people present at one single time moving about the same length

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 of one timber. In situations like this there are multiple loads acting on a single span of
timber and so the single point load experiment results are invalid in these situations.
Therefore, in such cases the two-point load experiment results are more desirable to be
applied or considered when designing the building specifications.

Recommendations and Conclusion

In designing buildings and structures that are to be used on a regular basis the preferable
experiment that will provide more accurate or desirable real-world applications are multiple
point load experiments as they are more realistic. The single point experiment may be used
to find specific bending moments and other internal properties and behaviors of materials
but the results of that experiment will be limited to that particular aspect or purpose only.
In future experiments it is more desirable to test specimens of different lengths as well as
using a range of multiple point loading per each experiment. In doing so there will be a
broader range of results allowing for a much accurate selection of materials when picking
out building materials as to align requirements with safety standards as per specifications
of the building board or other authorities.

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