The Effect of Aging on Various Physical and Mechanical Properties of Scotch Pine Wood Used in Construction of Historical Safranbolu Houses

Wood has been a favourite construction material since the ancient times because of its natural beauty and excellent properties, such as high specific strength, heat insulation and ease of handling and processing. It was also used in Safranbolu, where Turkish Ottoman civil architectural samples have been carefully protected and preserved without losing their originality. It was inscribed to “The World Heritage List” by UNESCO in 1994. In this study, density, Brinell hardness and compression strength perpendicular to the grain of Scotch pine (Pinus Sylvestris Lipsky.) wood, from the fl oor joist of 10 different demolished historical Safranbolu houses for 10 different years, were determined and compared with those of wood from freshly cut trees. The highest decrease in compression strength perpendicular to the grain of salvaged Scotch pine wood used as floor joist for 210 years was nearly 27 percent lower than those of wood from freshly cut Scotch pine. The results indicate that the physical properties, Brinell hardness and compression strength perpendicular to the grain of the Scotch pine wood were significantly affected by the 210-year service life.