Deformation and fracture mechanisms of wood and wood polymer biocomposites

The main objective of this project is to study the deformation and fracture mechanisms of wood and polymer impregnated wood biocomposites, characterize the mechanical properties and relate them to structural differences. In this project, strain and deformation fields are measured, during mechanical loading, using digital image correlation which is useful for material comparison, also to determine mechanical properties. The goal is to relate mechanical properties to structural differences and to better understand how to characterize these materials, which also facitilitates materials design.