Open Access
ARTICLE
Application of Fiber Undulation Model to Predict Oriented Strand Composite Elastic Properties
Vikram Yadama*, Michael P. Wolcott
Composite Materials and Engineering Center, Washington State University, PO Box 641806, Pullman, Washington, USA 99164-1806
* Corresponding Author:
Journal of Renewable Materials 2015, 3(3), 216-223. https://doi.org/10.7569/JRM.2015.634103
Received 07 January 2015; Accepted 10 April 2015;
Abstract
The effects of strand undulation angles in wood-strand composites have often been ignored due to the
virtual impossibility of experimental determination of their effects on composite material properties, and
the diffi culty in modeling localized deviations in angle along the path of a strand. The fi ber undulation
model (FUM), that has been previously verifi ed, was applied in this study to predict the elastic constants of
laboratory-manufactured oriented strand panels. A stochastic approach was incorporated where a series rule
of mixtures with probability density functions of angle distributions was utilized in the model to transform
the elastic constants in the constitutive matrix of the material for in- and out-of-plane strand deviations.
Based on a theoretical approach, a reduction in E
x
due to strand undulations averaged about 7 percent over
all confi gurations of test panels, indicating that localized out-of-plane strand deviations in commercially
manufactured wood-strand composites should not signifi cantly affect longitudinal Young’s modulus.
Keywords
Cite This Article
Yadama, V., Wolcott, M. P. (2015). Application of Fiber Undulation Model to Predict Oriented Strand Composite Elastic Properties.
Journal of Renewable Materials, 3(3), 216–223. https://doi.org/10.7569/JRM.2015.634103