ASTM International

Standard Test Methods for Structural Panels in Shear Through-the-Thickness
 N D2719

Annotation

These test methods determine the shear through-thethickness properties of structural panels associated with shear distortion of the major axis. Structural panels in use include plywood, oriented strand board, and composites of veneer and of wood based layers.

The choice of test method will be determined in part by the purpose of the tests, characteristics of test material, and equipment availability. In general, Test Method B or C for large specimens is preferred when equipment, amount of test material, and experimental plan permit.

Test Method A: Small Panel Shear Test—This test method is suitable for testing small samples of uniform material including investigations of the effects of grain direction or orientation and of many raw materials and manufacturing process variables which influence shear properties uniformly throughout the specimen. The test method is unsuited for determining effects of grade and manufacturing features such as density variations, knots, and core gaps within the specimen.

Test Method B: Large Panel Shear Test—This test method is regarded as giving the most accurate modulus of rigidity and is therefore recommended for elastic tests of materials to be used in stress analysis studies of test structures. This test method also yields excellent shear strength values for clear material. However, in spite of the large size of the specimen, failures generally occur only in narrow zones at the perimeter of the test area. This characteristic, a result of the heavy perimeter framing, causes this test method to be generally unsuited for determining grade and manufacturing effects such as density variations, core gaps, and knots that are not uniformly distributed throughout the panel. Generally, only in cases where effects of these factors under conditions of heavy perimeter framing are desired, should the test method be applied.