ABSTRACT
The paper presents comparison of three methods for determining elastic modulus in natural plant materials. The subject arose in need of providing the simplest and the most accurate methods for determining mechanical parameters in energetic plants— sida hermaphrodita and miscanthus giganteus. Experimental tests should allow to indicate parameters in a short period of time, especially when influence of humidity level or harvesting time is tested. The subject is a preliminary approach to testing the unknown material. Mechanical parameters are going to be used for numerical modelling and strength prediction of natural plant composites in the near future. There following tests are presented: three point bending test, cantilever beam own vibration frequency test and cantilever beam deflection test. Advantages and disadvantages of each presented method are described. Quality of the results is discussed based on laboratory tests.
