Experimental characterization of longitudinal mechanical properties of clear timber: Random spatial variability and size effects

In this study, an experimental campaign was conducted to characterize the length effect on the elasticity and tensile strength of clear spruce wood parallel to the grain direction. Four groups of specimens of different lengths, cut from the same log, were tested under the same conditions under longitudinal tensile loading. The cross-sectional area of the specimens was selected as being constant and sufficiently small to exclude the effect of...