COMPARISON OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF THE ELDEST LARCH WOOD CONSTRUCTION WITH OAK WOOD AND SPRUCE WOOD

Abstract

The paper discusses mechanical properties of timber for structures –most frequently used spruce wood, historically used oak wood and rarely mentioned larch wood. The main focus is on larch wood extracted from the ceilingof an immovablecultural monument from the 17thcentury –the determination of its age, its historicalimportance and mechanical properties. Mechanical properties were obtained by the standard tests in compressionparallel and perpendicular to the fibres and in bending. The results of tests are compared to the mechanical properties of oak wood, of commonly used spruce wood and of recently felled larch wood.