The Influence of Freezing and Thawing Process on the Bending Moment Capacity of L-Shaped Heat-Treated Wood Dowel Joints

Abstract

In this work, the influence of the freezing and thawing process on the bending moment capacity of L-shaped heat-treated wood dowel joints is analysed. The parts of the joints were made of heat-treated ash (Fraxinus excelsior) wood. Half of the analysed joints were randomly divided in two groups. One group was frozen and thawed in a climatic chamber and the other group was kept in laboratory environmental conditions. The bending moment capacity was calculated by means of ultimate failure load, which was experimentally obtained. One-way analysis of variance (One-way ANOVA) was applied to figure out if there is a significant difference between the analysed groups. Based on the obtained results, it was concluded that the freezing and thawing process did not significantly affect the strength of the L-shaped heat-treated wood dowel joints.