Wood is a pure, sustainable, renewable material. The increasing use of wood for construction can improve its sustainability. There are various techniques to assemble multi-layer wooden panels into prefabricated, load-bearing construction elements. However, comparative market and economy studies are still scarce. In this study, the following assembling techniques were compared: laminating, nailing, stapling, screwing, stress laminating, doweling, dovetailing, and wood welding. The production costs, durability, and ecological considerations were presented. This study was based on reviews of published works and information gathered from 27 leading wood product manufacturing companies in six European countries. The study shows that the various techniques of assembling multi-layer wooden construction panel elements are very different. Cross laminated timber (CLT) exhibited the best results in terms of cost and durability. With regard to ecological concerns, dovetailing is the best. Taking into account both durability and ecological considerations, wooden screw-doweling is the best. These alternatives give manufacturers some freedom of choice regarding the visibility of surfaces and the efficient use of lower-quality timber. CLT is the most cost-effective, is not patented, and is a well-established option on the market today.

In this paper, a series of experimental bending and compression tests were performed on cross-laminated timber (CLT) products with ±45° alternating layers, to evaluate their performance against conventional panels of 90° orientation. Engineered wood products, such as CLT with ±45° alternating layers can provide opportunities for greater use in larger and more sustainable timber constructions. A total of 40 panels, manufactured in an industrial CLT production line with either of these two configurations, were tested and compared. Panels were evaluated in bending tests n=20 and the remaining ones in compression tests. Results showed that 35% increased the strength in the four-point bending tests for panels containing ±45° alternating layers compared with the 90° alternating layers. Compression strength was increased by 15%. Stiffness increased by 15% in the four-point bending and 30% in the compression. The results indicate that CLT containing ±45° alternating layers has increased strength and stiffness compared to 90° alternating layers. These findings suggest that further developments in CLT are feasible in advanced building applications.

Bending tests were conducted with cross laminated timber (CLT) panels made using an alternating layer arrangement. Boards of Norway spruce were used to manufacture five-layer panels on an industrial CLT production line. In total, 20 samples were tested, consisting of two CLT configurations with 10 samples of each type: transverse layers at 45° and the conventional 90° arrangement. Sample dimensions were 95 mm × 590 mm × 2000 mm. The CLT panels were tested by four point bending in the main load-carrying direction in a flatwise panel layup. The results indicated that bending strength increased by 35% for elements assembled with 45° layers in comparison with 90° layers. Improved mechanical load bearing panel properties could lead to a larger span length with less material.

Increasing awareness of sustainable building materials has led to interest in enhancing the structural performance of engineered wood products. This paper reports mechanical properties of cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels constructed with layers angled in an alternative configuration on a modified industrial CLT production line. Timber lamellae were adhesively bonded together in a single-step press procedure to form CLT panels. Transverse layers were laid at an angle of 45°, instead of the conventional 90° angle with respect to the longitudinal layers’ 0° angle. Tests were carried out on 20 five-layered CLT panels divided into two matched groups with either a 45° or a 90° configuration; an in-plane uniaxial compressive loading was applied in the principal orientation of the panels. These tests showed that the 45°-configured panels had a 30% higher compression stiffness and a 15% higher compression strength than the 90° configuration. The results also revealed that the 45°-configured CLT can be industrially produced without using more material than is required for conventional CLT 90° panels. In addition, the design possibility that the 45°-configured CLT can carry a given load while using less material also suggests that it is possible to use CLT in a wider range of structural applications.

This research evaluated the mechanics of cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels with different layer orientations. A total of 20 industrially produced panels, configured with 0° longitudinal layers and transverse layers alternating at either ±45° or the conventional 90°, were tested. Each panel was subjected to destructive out-of-plane testing in the principal panel orientation to evaluate stiffness and strength in bending. Four-point bending tests showed higher stiffness and strength for panels with ±45° alternating layers compared to 90°. A non-contact full-field measurement and analysis technique based on digital image correlation (DIC) was utilised for the main mechanical analysis at different scales. DIC evaluations of 100 CLT panel layers showed that a considerable part of the stiffness of conventional CLT is reduced by the shear resistance of transverse layers. Heterogeneous wooden features, such as knots, reduce the propagation of shear fraction along the layers. These results call into question the present grading criteria in the CLT standard: It is suggested that the current lower grading limit be adjusted for increased value-yield. The overall experimental results suggest the use of CLT panels with a ±45° layered configuration would be beneficial for timber engineering construction. They also motivate the use of alternatively angled layered laminates in design and construction, especially in areas subjected to shear. Based on these results, CLT should be further explored as a suitable product to potentially facilitate the use of wooden panels in more construction applications.

This paper investigated the machinability of a stone–plastic composite (SPC) via orthogonal cutting with diamond cutters. The objective was to determine the effect of cutting depth on its machinability, including cutting forces, heat, chip formation, and cutting quality. Increased cutting depth promoted an increase in both frictional and normal forces, and also had a strong influence on the change in normal force. The cutting temperatures of chips and tool edges showed an increasing trend as cutting depth increased. However, the cutting heat was primarily absorbed by chips, with the balance accumulating in the cutting edge. During chip formation, the highest von Mises strain was mainly found in SPC ahead of the cutting edge, and the SPC to be removed partially passed its elastic limit, eventually forming chips with different shapes. Furthermore, the average surface roughness and the mean peak-to-valley height of machined surfaces all positively correlated to an increase in cutting depth. Finally, with an increase in cutting depth, the chip shape changed from tubular, to ribbon, to arc, to segmental, and finally, to helical chips. This evolution in chip shape reduced the fluctuation in cutting force, improving cutting stability and cutting quality.

The objective of this study was to understandbetter the cutting forces and chip formation of Scots pine(Pinus sylvestris L.) with different moisture contents (MCs)and machined in different cutting directions. To thatend, an orthogonal cutting experiment was designed,in which Scots pine was intermittently machined usinga tungsten carbide tool to produce chips. The cuttingforces were measured and the chip shapes were quantitativelydescribed. Four conclusions can be drawn: (1)with increasing MC, the average cutting forces initiallydecreased and then stabilized, while the angle betweenthe direction of the main and the resultant force continuouslydecreased. (2) The average cutting forces in the 90°–0° cutting direction were lower than the same forces inthe 90°–90° cutting direction. (3) During machining, thedynamic cutting forces fluctuated less in the 90°–0° case.However, the dynamic feeding forces showed a decreasingtrend in both the 90°–0° and the 90°–90° cases. (4) Theprocess applied produced granule chips and flow chips,while less curly flow chips with a higher radius of curvaturewere more easily produced from samples with highMCs in the 90°–0° cutting direction.

The moisture-induced recovery of compressed wood is one of the major problems of wood densification technology. Achieving a cost-efficient surface densification process without the need for additional resins to eliminate the set-recovery may lead to an increase in value of low-density wood species. A previous study has shown that a pre-treatment with ionic liquids (ILs) can nearly eliminate the set-recovery. It was however observed that during the pre-treatment process the IL did not penetrate sufficiently deep into the wood to explain the achieved reduction in set-recovery. Based on these findings, the hypothesis was posed that further penetration of the IL into the wood occurs during the densification stage as a consequence of the applied heat and pressure. Thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and gas-chromatography mass-selective-detection (GC-MSD) showed that the depth of penetration of the IL was greater after the densification process than before. Digital image correlation (DIC) showed that in regions with a high IL concentration, there was almost no set-recovery, and it gradually increased with a decrease in the IL concentration, as observed with TGA and GC-MSD analysis.

Engineered wood products, such as cross-laminated timber (CLT), are becoming more popular in the designs of modern sustainable buildings. This increased production of CLT requires more robust, yet less labour-intensive means to assess the material characteristics of whole CLT panels. In exploring ways of improving efficiency, this study explores multivariate image analysis (MIA) via partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) machine learning as a means to classify CLT material features. CLT panels underwent nondestructive testing using near-infrared (NIR) hyperspectral imaging and X-ray computed tomography (CT) analysis. MIA was performed on these results to build predictive models for wood features, such as fibre alignment and knot type. The models showed that it was possible to classify material features on the surface of CLT using NIR alone; whilst when combined with X-ray data, it enhanced the predictive ability of material features throughout the CLT volume. These first results from such modelling have the potential to help map the chemical and physical material properties of CLT, improving the manufacturing efficiency of the product and allowing greater sustainability of engineered wood products.

Edge-sealing, which involves treating the edges of wood products, improves water resistance. This study investigated the feasibility of edge-sealed cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels to reduce capillary water uptake, thereby resisting mould formation. The water and vapour permeabilities of ten characteristically different single-layer sealant coating systems were systematically determined. Multi-modal assessment leveraged by computed tomography (CT) scanning methodology was used to enhance detection of material characteristics beyond the standard coating permeability assessment. Moisture content was observed to change during the specimens’ absorption and desorption depending on the sealant system applied. The results revealed different characteristics of coatings during the water absorption and desorption stages. Findings from this study were used to develop recommendations regarding the water resistance of coating systems, curing time, susceptibility to mould formation, and industrial applicability. Results suggest that edge-sealed CLT could minimise the risk of mould formation, which can occur at worksites with minimal weather protection. The method developed in this study provides a basis to evaluate new coating systems and determine which use case is the best for a particular coating type. This study also incorporates insights from industry to identify future research orientations, which may pave the way for new designs and assessment techniques.