Investigating the effect of diameter and dowel surface in softwood joints, made by welding and glue

Abstract

Joints in furniture and wooden structures due to the highly sensitive bearing load are today one of the most important scientific topics. The most recent method proposed to build wooden joints in Europe and the United States is a method eco-friendly, without using any type of adhesive substance or connector, called "wood welding". In the present study, the effect of diameter and dowel surface on the tensile strength of softwood joints (made with dowel) was investigated using two methods: wood welding and glue bonding. Polyvinyl acetate glue (PVA) for bonding, species Fir (Abies alba) for members joint and species Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) for connector dowels were selected as fixed parameters. The structure of the welded surfaces was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results of the tensile strength test showed that parameters of diameter and type of dowel surface have a significant effect on the tensile strength of softwood joints in both joint methods.

Keywords

• wood welding
• Abies alba
• polyvinyl acetate
• dowel joint
• the tensile strength of the joint