Influence of Moisture on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Pouteria Pachycarpa Wood

Abstract According to the Brazilian standard for wooden structures, strength and stiffness increase linearly with decreasing moisture; however, as wood is a natural, heterogeneous and anisotropic material, certain strength and stiffness properties may not be affected even by large differences in moisture. Therefore, this work aims to evaluate the reliability of the resistance and rigidity transformation equations as a function of moisture, used to correct the properties when the test was not performed at 12% moisture. Furthermore, it was checked whether the humidity affects the properties of the studied species. Of the 15 properties analyzed, 2 did not show changes when analyzed at the fiber saturation point and at 12% moisture. Additionally, the correction equations of the Brazilian standard showed errors of up to 24% in the estimation of properties at 12% moisture. Thus, the need to correct the Brazilian standard for wooden structures is evident.