Dynamic and static hardness of wood: method development and comparative studies

Hardness is considered to be one of the most important surface properties of flooring materials. Numerous methods for hardness testing exist; they vary in terms of load application as well as shape and type of the indenting body. For wood-based materials Brinell hardness tests are used most commonly. Based on the Brinell hardness principle, this study focused on developing a method to determine the dynamic hardness of wooden materials. It aimed to examine differences between static and dynamic loads on hardness as well as the possibility to convert both hardness values into each other. Extensive hardness tests with 24 different native wood species and thermally modified timber were conducted. The method for dynamic hardness testing was found to be easily and reliably applicable on various kinds of wood-based materials. Compared with standard static methods, it is less time and cost consuming and allowed mobility.