This paper presents a stiffness analysis of a statically indeterminate wood-chair side-frame. Numerical calculations are carried out with a ‘linear elastic model’ for orthotropic materials. The mathematical model is solved by a ‘finite element method’. The matrix analysis of structure is carried out by a ‘direct stiffness method’. The frame joints are assumed to be ideally rigid and also as semi-rigid. Horizontal displacement of the top point of the back post is calculated for the most frequently used type of loading for the structure. The results of the calculation indicate that chair side frame becomes stiffer as the position of the stretcher is lowered and/or the stretcher cross section is increased. The results revealed that stiffness of joints in a frame had a considerable impact on the structure deflection. A satisfactory agreement was found between the numerical results and the results obtained by direct stiffness method. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Peer-review under responsibility of DAAAM International Vienna.

The FV method was originally developed for fluid flow, heat and mass transfer calculations (Patankar, 1980), and later generalized for stress analysis in isotropic linear and non-linear bodies (Demirdžic & Muzaferija, 1994; Demirdžic et al., 1997; Demirdžic & Martinovic, 1993). For the purpose of the stress analysis in the wood, the method is modified to take into account the anisotropic nature of the wood and influence of the moisture content and the temperature on the deformation and stresses (Horman, 1999). Also, performance of the wood is found to be very sensitive to the moisture content and the temperature. Thus, it is of a great importance to be able to predict behavior of such materials under different hygrothermo-mechanical loads. In order to demonstrate the methods capabilities, a transient analysis of fields of temperature, moisture, and stresses and displacement in the wood subjected to hygro-thermal or mechanical loads is performed.

This paper presents numerical analysis of stress and strain conditions of a three-dimensional furniture skeleton construction and its joints. The fi nite volume method is used in the calculation. Orthotropy of the wood material is accounted for by approximating it with an isotropic material whose elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio are calculated by employing the least-square method. The displacement of the edge point for the loaded joint was also determined experimentally. The agreement of results of the calculation and experimental data can be considered satisfactory. The numerical results presented in this paper also provided an opportunity for identifi cation of the region with the largest load and strain in the complex chair skeleton construction, which is one of the most complex pieces of furniture.

This paper presents a numerical method (the finite volume method) for analysing stress and strain in wood as a solid body. The method is very simple and easy to use. It starts from an integral form of the equations governing momentum, heat and mass balance. Second-order in both time and space finite volume discretisation is performed using the corresponding constitutive relations, resulting in a set of algebraic equations, which are then solved by an efficient segregated iterative procedure. In order to demonstrate the method’s possibilities, stress and deformation are analysed in a loaded chair and in wood samples during the process of wood drying and steaming.