Wood—A Reliable Engineering Material

The reliability of wood as an engineering material depends on sound information and enlightened usage. Efficient structural design must recognize wood's unique structural properties and use them correctly. The way in which results of standard tests on wood arc transformed into safe working stresses for structural design is summarized, and the factor of safety is considered. Reference is made to the structural grading of wood, emphasizing the importance of variability, and how this is accounted for in both visual and machining grading. In designing with wood, the designer needs to know about such inherent properties as strength with or across the grain, and about the place of fastenings. Structural reliability of wood depends on sound construction standards and discriminating use.