Abstract:

This study aimed to investigate the influence of density on the fracture behavior of southern yellow pine (Pinus taeda L.) wood in radial-longitudinal crack propagation direction under mode I loading. The density of the crack-tip location for each fracture test block was determined by using an X-ray density profile analyzer. Three fracture parameters were obtained from the load-deformation curve of each fracture test block, namely fracture toughness, initial slope, and specific fracture energy. In general, the results showed that the fracture parameters were strongly influenced by the density. Crack-tip locations with higher density were found to be more resistant to crack initiation. The initial slope of the load-deformation curve increased as the crack density in the wood increased. As a result of the regression analysis, it was observed that there were positive and strong correlations between density and each fracture parameter.

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