The Effect of Press Temperature and Duration on the Bonding Strength of American Poplar Laminated Veneer Lumber

Abstract

In this study, the effect of press temperature and duration on bonding strength of laminated veneer lumber (LVL) was investigated. For this purpose, LVLs were produced from I 77/51 American poplar clone (Populus deltoides) by using 2 different press temperatures (140 and 170?C) and 3 press duration (10, 15 and 20 minutes). Phenol formaldehyde (PF) adhesive was used for bonding of poplar veneers. The bonding strength and wood failure rate of produced LVLs were determined according to TS EN 314-1 standard. According to experimental results, the LVLs pressed at 170?C showed better bonding strength compared to LVLs pressed at 140?C. On the other hand, a decrease was observed in the wood failure rate due to the increase in temperature. The highest bonding strength was obtained by press duration of 10 minutes at press temperature of 170?C and a significant decrease in bonding strength was observed when press duration was extended.