Effect of Supporting and Loading Locations on the Shear Strength of Solid Wood Obtained by Asymmetric Four-point Bending Tests

In this research, asymmetric four-point bending (AFPB) tests were conducted to obtain the shear strength of Japanese cedar using straight specimens. During the AFPB tests, the locations of the supporting and loading points were varied along the length direction of the specimen at fixed configurations. In contrast, the AFPB test was also conducted using notched specimens, and the obtained shear strengths were compared with those obtained using straight specimens. The shear strength values obtained from straight specimen were similar to those using notched specimens when the supporting and loading points were in a certain range.