Wood is a complex material and the mechanical properties are influenced by a number of structural parameters. The objective of this study has been to investigate the relationship between the structure and the mechanical properties of hardwood. The mechanical
property study on Vasa oak showed that the longitudinal tensile strength is severely reduced in several regions of the ship, and that the reduction correlates with reduced average molecular weight of the holocellulose. This could not have been foreseen without a thorough mechanical and chemical investigation, since the Vasa wood (with exception from the bacterially degraded surface regions) is morphologically intact and with a micro-structure comparable to that of recent oak. The results can be used in the ongoing task of mapping the condition of the Vasa wood.
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