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Wood Material Science Lab
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A lab studying timber structures to make use of wood as a structural material in buildings.
AboutAbout the lab
Using wood as the structural material that supports buildings
The Wood Material Science Lab conducts research to make the most effective use of wood as a structural material in buildings.
In its basic research, the lab experimentally investigates how wood, a natural material with inconsistent quality, deforms and how strong it is.
In its applied research, the lab works on the design of timber buildings, on improving the structural safety and durability of buildings, and on developing new construction methods.
As an extracurricular activity, students have designed and built wooden pavilions and exhibited them at the May Festival (Gogatsusai).
Key terms
- Interlocking joint
- An interlocking joint: a method of connecting members by fitting together notches and projections cut into the wood
- Stiffness
- Stiffness: resistance to deformation under force. The higher the stiffness, the less a member deforms under the same force
- CLT
- Cross-laminated timber: thick, large wood panels made by stacking and gluing boards with their grain directions perpendicular to one another
ResearchResearch themes
Aiming to make the most effective use of wood as a structural material in buildings, the lab pursues research from basic to applied. It experimentally investigates the strength and deformation of wood and wood-based materials, and works on developing joints and structural frames and on seismic retrofitting of timber houses.
*Illustrative imageStrength of obliquely assembled joints
Among the diagonal joints essential in structures such as trusses that support large roofs, the lab experimentally investigates the strength and stiffness of interlocking joints, in which timber members are fitted together at an angle. It focuses in particular on shear at an angle to the grain.
*Illustrative imageEvaluating the stiffness of CLT joints
In CLT joints made by inserting steel plates and fastening them with drift pins, the initial stiffness measured in experiments tends to be lower than theoretical values. The lab aims to clarify the cause and to propose a calculation method that gives values close to actual behavior.
*Illustrative imageEstimating the strength of large wood-based materials
To enable the use of wood-based materials made from domestic timber in mid- to high-rise buildings, the lab studies the manufacture of large wood-based materials and the evaluation of their performance, including adhesion, focusing on conditions such as tree species, number of layers, and layer composition.
*Illustrative imageCollapse and seismic retrofitting of old timber houses
The lab clarifies how timber houses built under old seismic standards collapse in major earthquakes, and studies reinforcement methods that prevent collapse and protect human lives.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Wood Material Science Lab consist of faculty members, joint research fellows in agriculture, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, and research students.As of 2025
- ProfessorKenji AokiPublications ↗
- Associate ProfessorKobayashi KenjiPublications ↗
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “20230630 Structure of Katajanokan Laituri - Helsinki, Suomi, Finland” Aarni Salomaa / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Strength of obliquely assembled joints: “Timber roof truss, roof construction, town hall Duderstadt 01” Nemracc / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Evaluating the stiffness of CLT joints: “Stützenfuß” HansESchmidt / CC0 (cropped)
- Estimating the strength of large wood-based materials: “Fichte Dreischichtplatte 2009” Elke Wetzig (elya) / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Collapse and seismic retrofitting of old timber houses: “R6 noto earthquake wajima kuroshima-area kadoumi-house” Hurohukidaikon / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Wood Physics Lab): “Plant stem (250 27) Longitudal radial section - woody stem” Doc. RNDr. Josef Reischig, CSc. / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Environmental Materials Design Lab): “Sugi plantation along the Yoneshiro River, Akita Pref, Japan” 掬茶 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Wood Chemistry Lab): “Pine log cross-sections, Teutendorf” Radomianin / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Paper Science Lab): “Nanocellulose” Innventia / Public domain (cropped)
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