Which statement best describes sound wood when broken across the grain?

Which statement best describes sound wood when broken across the grain?

• A. It Splinters
• B. It Breaks Abruptly
• C. It Crumbles Into Particles
• D. It Bends Without Breaking

Answer: (A)

When you break wood across the grain, you’re forcing the fibers to separate perpendicular to their length. In sound wood, those fibers run along the piece, and the bonds between them fail in a shearing manner, causing the wood to fracture into sharp, slender splinters that follow the grain. This splintering is the typical failure mode for solid, undamaged wood when the break is across the grain. A clean, abrupt snap, crumbling into particles, or bending without breaking aren’t characteristic of sound wood in that cross-grain scenario, which is why splintering best describes what you’d see.

When you break wood across the grain, you’re forcing the fibers to separate perpendicular to their length. In sound wood, those fibers run along the piece, and the bonds between them fail in a shearing manner, causing the wood to fracture into sharp, slender splinters that follow the grain. This splintering is the typical failure mode for solid, undamaged wood when the break is across the grain. A clean, abrupt snap, crumbling into particles, or bending without breaking aren’t characteristic of sound wood in that cross-grain scenario, which is why splintering best describes what you’d see.