The Effect of Elevated Temperature on Bending Properties of Normal Wood inside Chinese Larch Wood during Fire Events

Timber is used extensively in construction. Therefore, it is important to characterize the response of wood when exposed to elevated temperatures for a sustained period of time. In fire-resistant designs for timber structures, the main goal is to assess in-fire and post-fire structural integrity. The objectives of this study were to study the immediate effect and the residual effect of temperature on bending properties for Chinese larch (Larix gmelinii). A total of 72 specimens were subjected to a static 3-point bending test at various temperatures. The results indicated that both the bending strength (BS) and modulus of elasticity (MOE) decreased nonlinearly as the temperature was increased from 20 to 225 degrees C for the immediate effect test. For the residual effect test, both the BS and MOE first increased non-linearly and then decreased with increasing temperature. There were significant differences between the immediate effect test and the residual effect test for both BS and MOE. The bending properties in the residual effect test were larger than those in the immediate effect test.