Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Flexural Properties of Solid Wood Materials Reinforced with Various FRP

Abstract

Wood material is destroyed over time by biotic and abiotic factors. Many of the historical buildings are made of wooden materials and these materials can degrade over time with the effect of environmental conditions. In order to ensure the sustainability of these buildings with historical value, they need to be repaired and strengthened over time. In this study, 20x20x360 mm wood specimens of Ash tree species were strengthened with carbon, basalt and glass based FRP materials. The flexural properties of the reference sample without wrapping and the samples reinforced with carbon, basalt and glass based FRP material were examined. For this purpose, at first three-point bending test has been performed, and then obtained results are compared with the numerical ones found from finite element analysis software ANSYS. As result, a good agreement has been found between experimental and numerical results. As a result of the flexural tests, the load-displacement curves, values of flexural strength and values of modulus of elasticity the samples were determined. In this study, it was determined that the highest load carrying capacity value belongs to the sample reinforced with carbon-based FRP polymers.