FE-numerical modelling of damage in wood using continuum damage mechanics

In this thesis, the mechanical behavior of a timber joint has been studied. The main task is to model the mechanical behavior of the joint as good as possible. To be able to solve the numerical instabilities of the timber joints, a deeper look needs to be done to the modelling of the wooden material and the steel wood contact. For this thesis a previously developed 3D numerical damage model of wood has been studied. This model has been elaborated by Sandhaas(2012) and it describes crack initiation and propagation of the material based on the concepts of continuum damage mechanics. The basic material model of wood has been implemented as a user material in the UMAT subroutine of ABAQUS. The developed model is giving some numerical instabilities due to the extreme distortion of the elements. During this thesis the model has been enhanced in order to be able to represent the mechanical behavior of wood as good as possible and solve the problem of the model. The modelling outcomes were compared to the results obtained by experimental tests (ref. to Sandaas,2012).The results showed that the first model, a tension test parallel-to grain, had been enhanced. Indeed the results got closer to the experimental value than the original model’s results did. The second model represented a timber joint with slotted-in steel plate with a dowel. The analysis were done with different wood spieces (spruce, beech and azobè). Regarding the spruce, the analysis reached fairly accurate results concerning the capacity load but they were less precise regarding the displacement and the stiffness. The prediction quality was rather poor for the other two species, beech and azobè. It is necessary to find other ways to further enhance the model.Even today a model that is able to represent all three fields (stiffness, capacity load and displacement) accurately doesn’t exist. Good results of one of these lead to bad results of the others. Modelling wood then still represents an evolving challenge.