Influence of water content on the mechanical properties of wood exposed to fire - Young's modulus and bending strength of Cryptomeria Japonica and Zelkova serrate under various water-containing states at elevated temperature - Young's m

The mechanical properties of Cryptomeria Japonica, a softwood commonly used in timber engineering, and Zelkova serrata, a hardwood normally used in traditional large buildings, heated up to 95°C were measured at the elevated water content and temperatures as an engineering basis for the structural fire safety design of large-scale timber buildings. The results show that the Young's modulus of two species at the elevated water content and temperatures was largely affected by the water content over 5% and the heating temperatures 80°C or higher. The bending strength at normal temperature or higher was highly dependent on the water content, however two species showed different declining trends with the rise of water content and temperatures. The correlation between Young's modulus and bending strength of Cryptomeria Japonica and Zelkova serrate keep to the same with the rise of the water content and temperatures.