Mechanical tests on Corymbia citriodora battenboard panels coated and reinforced with giant bamboo veneers

Abstract

Dense wood batten panels usually break in the glue line when loaded. This study demonstrates that thin veneers obtained from mature culms of Dendrocalamus asper by mechanical grinding are suitable for coating and reinforcing solid processed eucalyptus wood and eucalyptus batten panels. Tensile and bending tests were carried out on Corymbia citriodora timber and edge glued batten panels, with and without bamboo veneer reinforcement. The tensile test results showed that the bamboo veneers glued onto the wood and edge glued batten panels specimens acted as a mechanical reinforcement for both cases, when submitted to tensile forces parallel to the bamboo fibers. In bending tests, the edge glued batten panels specimens were tested transversally to the glue line, direction in which the panel showed the lowest mechanical resistance. The edge glued batten panels specimens without reinforcement with laminated bamboo exhibited a fragile behavior and ruptured abruptly along the glue line. A significant increase in the mechanical strength of the set was observed for the edge glued batten panels coated with laminated bamboo. In addition, the mechanical behavior changed in reinforced specimens, which ruptured slowly and gradually in the bending tests.

 KEYWORDS: Dendrocalamus asper, coated wood, edge glued panels, laminated bamboo.