Wood Fracture Characterization

Marcelo F. S. F. de Moura is an Associate Professor with Aggregation at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, Portugal.  His research interests are focused on the mechanical and fracture behavior of anisotropic materials (composites, wood, and bone) and adhesive bonding.  Numerical simulation of fracture and fatigue using cohesive zone modelling are his prominent research topics. He is the the author or co-author of over one hundred and fifty research papers in international scientific journals, and two books. Dr. de Moura has participated in twenty-six research projects, serving as leader in eight of them; and has supervised eight PhD candidates, with an additional two ongoing. Nuno M. M. Dourado is an Associate Professor at the Mechanical Department of the School of Engineering at the University of Minho in Guimaraes, Portugal. His research interests are focused on the fracture characteristics of quasi-brittle materials (wood, concrete, and bone tissue) and cohesive zone modelling of these materials' behaviour. The characterization of viscoelastic response of biological materials is also a recent topic of his research. He has authored or co-authored forty research papers, participated in six research projects, and supervised or co-supervised twenty-five MSc theses, and five PhD theses, with an additional four ongoing.

1. Introduction 2. Wood Mechanical Behaviour 3. Mode I Fracture Characterisation 4. Mode II Fracture Characterisation 5. Mixed-Mode I + II Fracture Characterisation 6. Structural Applications – Case Studies