Digital image correlation of strains at profiled wood surfaces exposed to wetting and drying

We hypothesize that machining grooves and ridges into the surface of radiata pine deck boards will change the pattern of strains that develop when profiled boards are exposed to wetting and drying. Two wavy profiles were tested, and flat unprofiled boards acted as controls. Full-field surface strain data was collected using digital image correlation. Strains varied across the surface of both flat and profiled boards during wetting and drying. Profiling fundamentally changed surface strain patterns; strain maxima and minima developed in the profile ridges and grooves during wetting, respectively, but this pattern of strains reversed during drying. Such a pronounced reversal of strains was not observed when flat boards were exposed to wetting and drying, although there was a shift towards negative strains when flat boards were dried. We conclude that profiling changes surface strain distribution in deck boards exposed to wetting and drying, and causes high strains to develop in the grooves of profiled boards. These findings help explain why checks in profiled deck boards are mainly confined to profile grooves where they are difficult to see, and the commercial success of profiling at reducing the negative effects of checking on the appearance of wood decking.