Influence of testing methods to determine the bending modulus of elasticity of wood

In Brazil, the characterization of solid wood for structural design must be carried out according to the recommendations of the ABNT NBR 7190:1997 standards. Studies about alternatives to improve reliability to test methods are always relevant. Thus, the present study aims to examine the bending modulus of elasticity of samples of three wood species: Canelao ( Nectandra membranacea), Corymbia citriodora (Corymbia citriodora) and Angelim (Angelim sp). The results for Canelao and Angelim showed statistical equivalence between the methods at 5% significance level. However, for the Corymbia species, statistical differences of results for bending tests with three and four points were observed. More studies are recommended in order to investigate other wood species, different strength classes and moisture content ranges.