Using environmentally friendly technology for fabricating special plywood with ultra-high strength

Abstract

Traditional plywood is widely used in furniture but not utilized in structural components due to its poor mechanical properties and water resistance. This research is aimed at fabricating special plywood with ultra-high strength using environmentally friendly vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) technology. Using the clean VARTM technology, the special plywood was fabricated from wood veneers, which were potential to be used for structural applications. In addition, the characteristics of veneer and VARTM technology make it possible to solve the difficult tasks in the preparation of large-format special plywood. The results showed that the flexural strength (261.0 MPa) and modulus (13.7 GPa) of the special plywood were 3-fold and 4-fold higher than the traditional plywood (76.7 MPa and 3.6 GPa), respectively, which were contributed by the VARTM technology for fewer pores in the special plywood. Compared to the natural wood, the porosity of the special plywood was reduced from 59.4% to 9.2%, so the flexural strength (261.0 MPa) and flexural modulus (12.9 GPa) were increased by 288.7% and 201.6%, respectively. Water resistance of the special plywood was also improved significantly, for instance, the 72-h water absorption was approximately 6-times lower than that of the traditional plywood. The high mechanical properties and water resistance of the prepared special plywood make it potential to be used for structural applications.