Diversity of Mechanical and Physicochemical Properties

Mechanical Properties of Wood

One-dimensional elastic behavior and applied strength of materials (RDM) for structures with wooden beams, and an introduction to design codes (finite element modeling).

One-dimensional viscoelasticity and damping.

Orthotropic behavior.

Fracture behavior.

Quasi-static and vibrational measurement methods.

Wood Compared to Other Materials (Ashby's charts).

Physicochemical Properties of Wood

Thermal and hygroscopic properties (shrinkage and swelling), and their effect on elastic properties.

Relationships between structure, chemistry, and physicomechanical behavior (from the cell wall scale to the macroscopic scale).

Sensory properties: color, smell, texture, sound, and taste.

Diversity of Woods and Diversity of Uses

Intraspecies variability and interspecies diversity (temperate, Mediterranean, tropical) in physicomechanical properties.

Forests at the intersection of several categories of diversity (biological, physical-mechanical, functional, cultural), illustrated through specific uses and across different geocultural areas.

The EU project “Diversity of Mechanical and Physicochemical Properties” aims to gain knowledge about the physicomechanical behavior of wood and its specific characteristics (heterogeneity, anisotropy, and variability) as they relate to its structure and chemistry. The focus will be on intra- and inter-species diversity and the implications for various applications.