Performance Assessment of Wood-Based Composite Materials Subjected to High Temperatures

This paper is based on research placed within the broader framework of the growing environmental impact requirements of building materials. Given this context, wood-based composite materials have emerged as a promising and innovative solution for structural elements. The current work aims to define a system for testing the mechanical behavior of glued laminated timber elements when exposed to high temperatures, in the neighborhood of the pyrolytic decomposition of materials. These tests monitor the transient behavior of the composite material and characterize the parameters involved in the thermo-mechanical analysis of elements constructed using this type of engineered wood product. The tests are used for the calibration of the material models involved in the numerical analysis and for the analysis of potential prototypes, considering the transient thermal load and heat propagation through the materials. By taking such tests, benchmark models and laboratory procedures are defined that can be used in the future to evaluate different materials, existing or new, and material combinations used to construct such a composite.