Résumé
The fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris (NDP) was a disaster that nevertheless led to several scientific breakthroughs. The remains of the roof frame constitute a large stock of oak wood dating from the 12th to the 19th century, offering a rare opportunity to study the ageing properties of wood. Following several research initiatives, the results presented here aimed in particular at 1- consolidating matching techniques to compare old and recent wood, 2- determining hygroscopic behaviour, 3- assessing instantaneous elastic properties. The disturbance depth of the fire was assessed using spectrocolorimetry analysis. Fiber saturation point and transverse surface shrinkage coefficient were measured. And finally, preliminary 3-points bending tests performed on a small number of samples from the 12th to 19th century highlighted the considerable variability of such material. Particular attention must be paid to the composition of the experimental groups to be set up to assess the ageing of the wood.