Moisture-related distortion and damage of lightweight wood panels—experimental and numerical study

摘要

AbstractThis study was conducted to increase the knowledge of moisture-related distortion and damage in the field of wood-based lightweight panels. By increasing the possibilities of predicting moisture-related distortion and damage, the possibilities of using lightweight wood materials could increase. The study was performed through experiments and modelling work on a wooden panel product with numerous struts and two thin outer-face sheets of beech-wood glued tightly onto the struts, as well as reference panels of solid wood. During the testing period the results showed the density of the studied lightweight panels to vary from 170 to 290?kg/m3. These panels shrunk and swelled less than the solid wood panels and reacted faster to changes of surrounding humidity and temperature. Moisture related distortions such as twist and bow were not inferior compared to the solid wood panels. Shrinkage or swelling produced moisture related stresses. This may mean that the panel will have a risk of serious damage in the form of cracks or glue release between the outer face sheet and the struts when it is exposed to intense drying. The experimental tests also followed how various damages arose in the panels. Until the damage occurred, the deformation results showed a strong agreement between the experimental and the model findings. Better knowledge of how this type of panel reacts to climate variations is important for the further design and development of this type of product.]]>