Abstract
This study examines the suitability of wood welding technology for producing composite panels for furniture applications with two Canadian hardwood species, sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis). For each species, twelve 30 × 225 × 300 mm3 panels were manufactured using a panelling machine specifically designed for rotational wood-dowel welding with optimized parameters obtained from a previous study. Six edge-glued panels of the same size were manufactured from each species using a non-structural polyvinyl acetate adhesive and tested for comparative purposes. The experimental programme included three-point bending at 255-mm span and visual inspection of the panels to assess performance at standard moisture conditions and after an ageing cycle with variable relative humidity. Average breaking load of 1.79 and 1.70 kN was obtained at standard moisture conditions for welded panels of yellow birch and sugar maple, respectively. Fractures consistently occurred in the dowel’s cross section, whereas no slippage was observed along the welded interface. Delamination between wood slats occurred after the ageing cycle, but did not affect the bending properties. Results confirm the suitability of wood-dowel welding for producing furniture panelling with Canadian hardwood species. Further research is needed to design panels with a more efficient position and use of welded dowels and with panel product properties that are comparable or superior to those of glued counterparts.
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Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the financial support of Le Fonds Québécois de la Recherche sur la Nature et les Technologies for a research grant, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and FPInnovations for a scholarship (B. Belleville). Thanks are extended to the Centre de Recherche Industrielle du Québec and EQMBO Entreprises for technical support.
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Belleville, B., Stevanovic, T., Cloutier, A. et al. Production and properties of wood-welded panels made from two Canadian hardwoods. Wood Sci Technol 47, 1005–1018 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00226-013-0554-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00226-013-0554-7