Some physical and mechanical properties of reinforced laminated veneer lumber

In this study, poplar laminated veneer lumber (LVL) was produced using phenol formaldehyde adhesive, and reinforced LVL (RLVL) was produced by inserting woven glass fibers between the veneer sheets. Some tests were conducted to analyze the effects of the reinforcement on the properties of the LVL. Some physical properties, such as density, moisture content, and swelling were determined, as were the mechanical properties of impact bending, specific impact bending, and shear strength. The test results indicated that density, impact bending, and shear strength increased. Conversely, tangential swelling, volumetric swelling, moisture content, and specific impact bending decreased. Increased dimensional stability of wood-based materials is a preferred property for many applications due to the increased service life. In addition, the increases in impact bending and shear strength, especially in the connection points and load-bearing points in structural applications, were the most important results of the study. (c) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.