Modelling relative humidity effect on load duration of timber beams

Under mechanical and various climatic conditions, timber beams are subjected to deformations, damage and cracking which can drive to complete failure. A stochastic approach is used to predict (forecast) the evolutions of the air humidity which can occur in the future. The presented model firstly predicts the incubation time before cracking and secondly the time of crack propagation until the failure. Predictions of the proposed model [for stochastic variations of air humidity] are compared to delayed rupture test realized on bending of notched beams under various climatic conditions