I have an idea for a new thread...

[Berg Man]

You mean "by weight " surely?

Not necessarily. Wood and other natural products are very strong. Ever seen a tree with a monster branch or trunk at a crazy angle and weight? Could you imagine steel holding up those weights at those angles with no extra support?

 

Here is a fun fact for you. If you set a steel based structure and wood based structure on fire and managed to extinguish the flames soon enough , you could actually continue to use the wood building. The steel building would collapse when the temperatures reached 800 degrees or something (the steel would melt). The wood beams on the other hand would only be burning on the surface. So, in theory, you could clean off the blackened surface of the wood and the inside would still be ok. 

 

Obviously it is difficult to actually be able to put out the fire, but still.

[Patchelicious]

Not necessarily. Wood and other natural products are very strong. Ever seen a tree with a monster branch or trunk at a crazy angle and weight? Could you imagine steel holding up those weights at those angles with no extra support?

 

Here is a fun fact for you. If you set a steel based structure and wood based structure on fire and managed to extinguish the flames soon enough , you could actually continue to use the wood building. The steel building would collapse when the temperatures reached 800 degrees or something (the steel would melt). The wood beams on the other hand would only be burning on the surface. So, in theory, you could clean off the blackened surface of the wood and the inside would still be ok.

 

Obviously it is difficult to actually be able to put out the fire, but still.

Steel melts at 1400 degrees, if you subjected a tree to that temperature it would probably explode. Edited April 17, 2018 by Patchelicious

[Hairy]

Steel melts at 1400 degrees, if you subjected a tree to that temperature it would probably explode.

It is known that structural steel begins to soften around 425°C and loses about half of its strength at 650°C. 

[Suidwes Boytjie]

I want one of these... This is seriously cool.

[shova1]

[Eldron]

Not necessarily. Wood and other natural products are very strong. Ever seen a tree with a monster branch or trunk at a crazy angle and weight? Could you imagine steel holding up those weights at those angles with no extra support?

 

Here is a fun fact for you. If you set a steel based structure and wood based structure on fire and managed to extinguish the flames soon enough , you could actually continue to use the wood building. The steel building would collapse when the temperatures reached 800 degrees or something (the steel would melt). The wood beams on the other hand would only be burning on the surface. So, in theory, you could clean off the blackened surface of the wood and the inside would still be ok. 

 

Obviously it is difficult to actually be able to put out the fire, but still.

 

Necessarily, completely, totally, comprehensively and scientifically :-)

 

I have seen tons of trees. I have also seen tons of failure tests in a laboratory and steel is stronger.

[Eldron]

Pine has a tensile strength of around 40mpa - steel starts around 400mpa.

[Patchelicious]

It is known that structural steel begins to soften around 425°C and loses about half of its strength at 650°C.

I know, but he said “melt”.

[Berg Man]

Pine has a tensile strength of around 40mpa - steel starts around 400mpa.

 

The density of Finnish pine is 370 – 550 kg/m3, spruce 300 – 470 kg/m3 and birch 590 – 740 kg/m3.

 

Those are pretty soft woods. Bear in mind wood's tensile strength increases as it's density increases.

 

Wood is also 20 times stronger along the grain than across it, so that needs to be taken onto account too.

[Kranswurm]

What should have been a nice clear table came out as shite

Edited April 17, 2018 by Kranswurm

[Berg Man]

I know, but he said “melt”.

Good point. Typing too quickly and not thinking things through correctly 

[Warthog]

And all this just because I'm getting a bamboo bike...

[Hairy]

And all this just because I'm getting a bamboo bike...

is there not a bunch of guys in Hermanus making bamboo bikes too?

[Eldron]

The density of Finnish pine is 370 – 550 kg/m3, spruce 300 – 470 kg/m3 and birch 590 – 740 kg/m3.

 

Those are pretty soft woods. Bear in mind wood's tensile strength increases as it's density increases.

 

Wood is also 20 times stronger along the grain than across it, so that needs to be taken onto account too.

 

The strongest wood I can find is Cedar Elm at 120mpa - well short of structural steel at 400mpa. All wood tensile tests are done parallel to grain.

 

4130 steel used in cheapy bike frames is around 951mpa after heat treatment.

[duringd]

And all this just because I'm getting a bamboo bike...

 

Don't dare come to this forum with anything remotely interesting, we are all suckers for information. Been a rather interesting discussion!

[Hairy]

to get us back on track