Experimental Investigation of the Mechanical Properties of Jointed Rubber Wood Using Two Types of Adhesives

Abstract

Wood, a potentially good construction material in terms of sustainability, has less structural use now in India. Due to easy availability, low cost and good working quality there is a scope for the value addition of rubber wood in the Country. Finger jointing technology benefits high economic advantage by upgrading rubber wood. There is a dearth of information for the influence of adhesive on the mechanical properties of jointed rubber wood in India. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of adhesive type on the end jointing and face gluing of rubber wood. The end jointing adopted for the study was the most common finger joint configuration of the wood industry in Kerala, the largest producer of rubber wood in the Country. The adhesives were polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) and phenol resorcinol formaldehyde (PRF). The face gluing evaluation was done based on the adhesive bond strength and percentage wood failure. The integrity of glue types to delamination was also tested .The results of the study have indicated glue type has no statistically significant effect on modulus of rupture, modulus of elasticity of finger joints and the shear strength of adhesive bond in the dry stage with the same wood failure percentage. The joint efficiency of PRF adhesive was superior to PVAc in tension and compression of finger joints. The PRF adhesive exhibited excellent performance in the exterior exposure condition durability test.