Experimental research on load bearing capacity of adhesively jointed beech timber lamellas

Abstract

The aim of this work was to verify behavior of a beech timber finger-joint in local conditions in the Central Europe. The samples were produced with a glued joint with the finger length of 23 mm according to standard ČSN EN 14 080. Commonly used polyurethane adhesive for production of engineered wood products in the Czech Republic was used. The samples were loaded by destructive four-point bending tests according to standard ČSN EN 408, and the achieved bending strength was statistically evaluated and compared with results of non-glued samples. The results showed that bending strength of lamellas with a finger-joint reached about 65% of the strength of samples without a joint, and the failure of lamellas occurred in most cases at the joint.