Experimental study on full-scale glulam beams manufactured with Eucalyptus urograndis

Abstract

Engineered wood products need alternatives of raw materials to their production. The hybrid Eucalyptus urograndis has great potential to supply the demand of this industrial sector. In this context, the present paper aims to analyse the feasibility of using Eucalyptus urograndis in glued laminated timber (glulam) production. To this end, four groups with ten glulam beams each, were produced and tested. An extensive experimental program was performed in order to determine: the stiffness and bending strength of the beams; and the com - pression strength parallel to grain of the beams. The performance of structural adhesives was verified based on shear tests of glue lines. The experimental mean of stiffness was higher than 14675 MPa and the characteristic value of compression strength parallel to grain achieved a value above 40 MPa. Nevertheless, failure mode of the glulam beams showed that finger-joints reduced bending strength. The glulam beams produced with Eucalyptus urograndis proved to be a feasible alternative due to their mechanical properties. However, this material presents difficulties in finger-joints adhesion.