The project aims to characterize complex issues and phenomena in energy-based methods
used for assessing the load-bearing capacity of wooden beams and wood-based composites at
both structural and microscale levels. The project follows author’s previous project that
identified missing knowledge in fracture behavior of wood. Experimental part of the project
covers massive scale experiments on GLT, ‘meso’-scale experiments mapping the role of size
effect on R-curves stability (looking for the threshold sample size from which they appear
already similar) and of course micro-scale: 1) study of crack initialization and FPZ development
using X-ray CT imaging with simultaneous loading and 2) a laboratory long-term testing of timedependent
properties of crack development loaded to 70% Fmax with possible implications to
DOL effect. Such an extensive experimental compaign will be followed with a bunch of
numerical modeling including extensions of LEFM, comparison to CZM and FELA (finite
element based limit analysis) methods.