The Six Engineering Characteristics of Wood
The Big E and the Five Little f ’s
| Engineering Term | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| E (Modulus of Elasticity) |
| How much this sample will deflect under a given load. |
| Fb (Extreme fiber stress before failure occurs) |
| How much we can stress a member in bending before permanently rupturing fibers. |
fcii (Compressive strength when loaded parallel to grain) |
| How much load we can put on the member when loaded like this before rupturing fibers. |
| fv (Horizontal shear) |
| How much load we can apply as shown before material will fail along the indicated failure plane. |
| Ft (Tensile strength parallel to grain) |
| How much tension we can put this member under before failure. |
Fc⊥ (Compressive strength loaded perpendicular to grain) |
| How much load we can apply in this manner before actual crushing. |