Determination of the modulus of elasticity in bending of structural timber- comparison of two methods

Two different methods of determining the modulus of elasticity in bending w ere compared. In the one method, the deformation measurement is local as pr escribed in European standard EN 408, and in the other one it is a global m easurement, similar to what is stated in the methods used in North America and Australia. A total of 1825 beams of spruce and pine timber was tested. The result shows that there can be a substantial difference between the two methods, and that the ratio between the local and global modulus of elasti city is affected by different factors, such as the length between the refer ence points in the deformation measurement, the ratio between the modulus o f elasticity and shear modulus and timber quality.