Wood - The Internal Optimization of Trees

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-XII

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Claus Mattheck, Hans Kubler

   Pages 1-1

3. Mechanical Fundamentals

   • Claus Mattheck, Hans Kubler

   Pages 2-20

4. The Mechanical Self-Optimization of Trees — Five Theorems

   • Claus Mattheck, Hans Kubler

   Pages 21-21

5. The Principle of Minimum Lever Arms

   • Claus Mattheck, Hans Kubler

   Pages 22-26

6. The Axiom of Uniform Stress

   • Claus Mattheck, Hans Kubler

   Pages 27-37

7. Parallel Fiber and Force Flow Arrangement

   • Claus Mattheck, Hans Kubler

   Pages 38-59

8. Tree Rings and Force Flow

   • Claus Mattheck, Hans Kubler

   Pages 60-62

9. Growth Stresses

   • Claus Mattheck, Hans Kubler

   Pages 63-89

10. Stress-Controlled Strength Distribution

    • Claus Mattheck, Hans Kubler

    Pages 90-108

11. Cracks

    • Claus Mattheck, Hans Kubler

    Pages 109-121

12. Final Remarks — Review and Outlook

    • Claus Mattheck, Hans Kubler

    Pages 122-124

13. Back Matter

    Pages 125-129

    PDF

Here are two physicists looking over the fence of physics, getting thrilled by the life and growth of trees, taking an altogether different, exciting view of wood: trees produce wood for their own benefit. They do not live for the benefit of man who builds his world using wood as a raw material. Timber is revealed in a different light, and the reader is taught to stop thinking of it in terms of defective beams and boards. Wood only fails as a part of the living tree. To us, the tree and wood biologists, this new definition is a real, inspiring challenge, which is just what Kubler and Mattheck intended it to be. Their answers may seem too simple or little logical to some of us; but the authors are not at a loss for sound and solid arguments. Their field studies prove the incredible, their hypotheses makes us want to get to the bottom of the un­ proven unbelievable. The authors' answers and arguments are bold and cour­ ageous. They arouse our curiosity and force us to fathom the facts. It seems as if Kubler and Mattheck wanted to trick us into believing that trees only live and react following mechanical rules and strategies. To tell the truth, that was what I first suspected the authors of: but I was wrong.

• Baum
• Biomechanik
• Fraktometer
• Gestaltoptimierung
• Holz
• biomechanics
• fractometer
• growth
• mechanics
• optimization of design
• tree
• wood

• Research Center Karlsruhe, Institute for Material Research II, Karlsruhe, Germany

  Claus Mattheck

• Madison, USA

  Hans Kubler

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