Relationships between physical-mechanical properties of Brazilian hardwoods

Abstract

Native Brazilian hardwood species have structural potential, yet knowledge of their design properties is limited. Furthermore, available data often originates from different testing standards. This study analyzed physical-mechanical property relationships using 345 experimental entries from 195 native species. Comparative regression showed distinct relationships among standards. Suggesting the need for an individualized assessment of normative results, justifying the exclusive use of NBR 7190 (ABNT, 2022) data for in-depth analysis. Although the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) favored complex models, the linear model was adopted for its simplicity and robustness. Regressions were evaluated using R², MRE, and p-value metrics. The analysis indicated that linear models adequately represent most relationships between the physical and mechanical properties studied. However, significant relationships could not be established for f_c90 and f_t90 due to limited data and high variability. Comparisons with NBR 7190 (ABNT, 2022) standard revealed discrepancies, indicating that the generic characteristic values do not represent the behavior of these species well. The correlation coefficients obtained in this study were stronger than the generic ones reported by the JCSS (2004) and are more suitable for modeling variable dependency in structural reliability analyses.