Stress and failure analysis of wood composites: a new model

Structural wood composites are frequently used in building construction for beams and columns. While the technology for the production of these composites is highly advanced, modeling techniques to predict material behaviour in building applications are severely lacking. This paper proposes a material model that is based on orthotropic elasticity, anisotropic plasticity for non-linear behaviour in compression and the Weibull weakest link theory to predict brittle failure. This three-dimensional model is implemented using finite element analysis for two sample cases: the notched shear block specimen and a single-bolt connection specimen. Model output is compared against laboratory test results and provides detailed information on load-displacement, ultimate strength and mode of failure. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.