Mechanical characterisation of wooden structures by means of an in situ penetration test

摘要

The problem of evaluating wood decay and related residual strength capacity in existing wooden structures in historical buildings is particularly important when deciding on the possibility of restoration and the kind of strengthening intervention needed. The technique of the penetration test consists in the penetration of a steel pin into wood with repeated and energy constant blows transmitted by a rebound hammer. This test, based on the penetration measurement layer after layer, makes it possible to distinguish between different degrees of decay in each layer as a function of the number of blows necessary for 1-cm penetration.