Compression Parallel to Grain of Finger-Jointed Pine Specimens: Experiment and Modeling for Determination of Elastic Modulus

The practical realization of sustainable development concepts implies the application of new material processing technologies, among which wood as a renewable resource with a low carbon footprint occupies a special place. Researchers have developed many promising technologies for wood processing, but this paper discusses only one of them that fully meets the requirements of sustainable development. This is a fingerjointing technology for wood. The paper deals with compression tests of pine specimens with initial dimensions of 40×40×80 mm with and without finger joints. Experiments have shown that the finger joint reduces the peak load on the specimen by 11 %. The peak load is reduced caused stress concentration, which is consistent with numerical modelling results in existing studies. In addition, the finger-jointed specimen showed a disproportionate 22 % reduction in relative strain at the peak point. These changes mean a decrease in plastic properties and an increase in brittleness under the influence of the physical and mechanical properties of the adhesive in the gear joint. This paper proposes two versions of the equation for modelling the behavior of wood in load-displacement and stress-strain coordinates. The relevance and feasibility of such research is because finger joint technology minimizes wood waste and ensures sustainable wood management to sustainable development.