Static Bending Performance of Mengkulang and Kasai LVL Beam in Structural Size

Abstract

The scarcity of good quality timber initiates the timber industry shift to engineered timber products. Laminated veneer lumber (LVL) promising high strength and more dimensionally stable as well as flexible compared to conventional timber components. However, most of the previous studies focus on softwood timber, and limited species utilized tropical timber. Thus, this study assessed the static bending performance of LVL produced from Malaysian tropical hardwoods, namely Mengkulang (Heritiera spp.) and Kasai (Pometia spp.) in structural size. A four-point bending test was conducted in accordance with BS EN 408:2010+A1:2012. The effect of loading direction in edgewise to the bending test sample are performed and evaluated in parallel and perpendicular to the timber grain. In this study, Kasai samples displayed higher bending strength in MOR and MOE values than Mengkulang samples. By grain directions, samples with grain parallel to span performed better in MOR and MOE values as compared to the perpendicular grain samples for both timber species.