Wood moisture accounting in creep equations

Wood as a structural material differs from other materials used in construction and industry, high variability of its properties. This is due, among other things, to the action of various variable factors – moisture content, temperature, inclination of fibers and others. The influence of wood moisture is especially strong – as a result of moistening the strength of wood considerably decreases in comparison with durability in absolutely dry condition. In addition, wood is a significantly nonlinear structural material. Non-linearity is manifested both in short-term and prolonged loading. Research of wood in time can be divided into two directions: longterm durability of wood and creep of wood. Modern models of wood creep are based on linear theories. Analysis of experimental data of various researchers on wood creep, has shown that the area of linear creep is observed at rather low levels of loading. At medium and high levels of experimental loading the existing models of linear wood creep theory do not correspond to experimental data. All this points to the actuality of the development of methods of calculating wooden structures for creep (linear and nonlinear), taking into account the wood moisture. (paper)