Mechanical properties of beech wood (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) naturally grown in north of Iran

The aim of this study is to determine some mechanical properties (compression strength parallel to the grain and static bending strength) of beech wood (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) and to compare them with other beech species. In the tests randomly selected logs taken from the trunk 2- 4 m height were obtained from trees naturally growing in Noshahr region (North of Iran) and tested according to ASTM Standard. The results showed that the mean compression parallel to the grain was 685 kg cm-2 and static bending strength 1292 kg cm-2 . These results were compared with other available values in the literature. As a result of this comparison, it was observed that beech trees growing in Iran and other beeches have similar mechanical properties and density. Keywords: Beech (Fagus orientalisLipsky), compression strength, static bending strength, Iran