STRUCTURAL ASSESSMENT OF LAMINATED WOOD VENEER/PLASTIC SHEET COMPOSITES USED AS BUILDING MATERIAL

In this study, to improve the structural applications of wood plastic composite (WPC) according to its relatively lower MOE, wood veneer and plastic sheets were laminated to form laminated WPC (LWPC). Bonding performance tests were conducted to determine the effects of coupling agent and processing on bonding performance between wood and plastic, followed by mechanical properties tests. The bondlines between wood and plastic were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed the following. 1) Delamination of untreated LWPCs was converted into wood fracture by adding a coupling agent. 2) The bending strength and tensile strength are both higher than those of the conventional WPCs, and the MOE of parallel multilayered LWPCs was significantly increased. The parallel multilayered LWPC with a density of 0.6 g/cm3 and wood-to-plastic ratio of 3:1 had an MOE of 11,490 MPa, and the bending and tensile strength were 40.36 MPa and 31.47 MPa, respectively. 3) SEM indicated that a strong interfacial connection in LWPC was obtained. This study demonstrated that the configuration of LWPC in combination with laminated veneer lumber and conventional WPC technologies is an effective method to improve mechanical properties. The LWPC can be used as a load-bearing material in timber structure.