ABSTRACT
Brazil has a large forest territory that favors the incidence of numerous tree species. For a wood species to be used in a structural system, a series of characterizations of its physical-mechanical properties are necessary. In this context, one of the variables to be studied is the moisture content, whose variability can significantly interfere with its properties. The current Brazilian standard establishes models for correcting strength and stiffness for equilibrium moisture, admitting a linear increase inversely proportional to the moisture content. However, in some species, this phenomenon may not occur, leading to constant or even smaller values. Therefore, this research aimed, with the aid of analysis of variance, to investigate the influence of variation in moisture content (from 12% to fiber saturation point) on twelve mechanical properties of the species Dipteryx odorata. Among these, four did not show significant variations between 12% moisture and saturation point, concluding that the standard formulation does not cover all properties for all species. Furthermore, it was found that the standard correction models lead to strength values higher than those obtained experimentally, underestimating the structures and disfavoring safety.
Keywords
Tropical wood; Equilibrium moisture; Fiber saturation; Moisture correction