Thermal degradation modeling of flexural strength of wood after exposure to elevated temperatures

Wood is being used heavily in single-family residential dwellings. Therefore, it is important to categorize their response when exposed to elevated temperatures for a sustained period of time. An important aspect of structural fire design is to assess postfire residual strength of existing structures. This study addresses this issue by developing models to predict strength degradation of wood after exposure to elevated temperature. The objectives were to (a) study the effect of exposure time on bending strength [Modulus of Rupture (MOR)] of wood at elevated temperatures, (b) interpret any relationships between different temperature and time of exposure using kinetics and a statistical approach, and (c) compare the two approaches. Two hundred thirty-two samples in total were tested in flexure as a function of exposure time and several temperatures. MOR of wood decreased as a function of temperature and exposure time. Rate of degradation was higher at higher temperatures. These results were fit to a simple kinetics model, based on the assumption of degradation kinetics following an Arrhenius activation energy model with apparent activation energy of 37.4 kJ/mol. A regression-based statistical model was also developed. The kinetics-based model fit the data better with one less parameter and predictions consistently matched the observed values, making the model preferred over the regression approach.