High strain rate material properties of SPF wood studs

High strain-rate loading on the flexural response of typical light-frame wood construction was investigated. Stud grade spruce-pine-fir (S-P-F) lumber specimens were tested within a range of low and high strain-rates between 6×10^-6 1/s to 0.4 1/s using a servohydraulic actuator and a shock tube. A novel single-degree-of-freedom iterative solution procedure was used to compute the high strain-rate modulus of rupture (MOR) and modulus of elasticity (MOE). Material dynamic increase factors (DIF) suitable for blast resistant design of timber structures were presented, and are in agreement with those prescribed by the Canadian Standard for Design and Assessment of Buildings Subjected to Blast Loads, CSA S850.