Adhesive-free wooden tongue-groove joints: use of high-speed rotational wood welding

摘要

Wood joinery is one of the most essential requirements in assembling of wooden products. Joining of wood sections by petrochemical-based adhesives like PVA is most prevalent. The use of glues for wood joinery is associated with high cost of investment and long curing time. Most of the glues are known to possess negative environmental effect. Friction-induced welding of wood is a newer concept to join wood sections by using their amorphous material in the intercellular structure (lignin and hemicelluloses). This paper aims at exploring the application of spin-induced friction for making tongue-groove joints by welding the turned wood sections of Dalbergia sissoo. It also deals with optimisation of parameters to achieve high strength of welded wood joints. Welding parameters like rotation speed, friction time, welding pressure were optimised to achieve the best set of conditions for making strong welded joints. Tensile strength of welded joints was compared with that of PVA-glued joints on turned wood sections and welding parameters were optimised to achieve strength of welded joints at par with it.