The current state and tendencies of using rheological models for self-forming wooden structures

Wood is a natural and ecological material. Exceptional mechanical properties of wood allow it to be used in building structures subject to chemically active substances. However some changes in mechanical characteristics of wood under the influence of water and temperature, as well as its anisotropy, limit the application areas of this material. Based on the results of the research by S.P. Timoshenko, foreign scientists proposed a method that makes it possible to use these shortcomings of wood to create wooden structures of unique shapes. This article considers the self-forming process of glued layered wooden structures, which is based on various rheological processes taking place in wood. In order to predict the shape of a glued layered wooden structure obtained with the self-forming method, an accurate rheological model is required, which takes into account all wood deformation mechanisms. We analyzed the available rheological models of wood proposed or described both by Russian and foreign scientists, as well as the international experimental studies and numerical modeling results of the self-formed glued layered wooden structures. Based on the analysis results, it was found that the present rheological models do not take into account a number of factors that influence the process of self-forming of glued layered wooden structures. The rheological model, which includes a complete list of factors affecting wood deformation (elastic and plastic deformation, wood shrinkage or swelling, viscous-elastic creep deformation and mechanical and sorption deformation), is the most promising for creating unique architectural objects from glued wood. But it also has a number of shortcomings, mainly due to inconsideration of some factors and few experimental studies. Such factors include the geometric parameters of layers of the glued wooden structures, the surface treatment of layers, temperature, as well as wood species. These factors influence the process of wood shrinkage and swelling, thus the final shape of a wooden structure. It is necessary to have additional experimental and theoretical studies of the mechanical behavior of glued wooden structures which will take into account these factors, as well as to study other species of wood including their combinations.