The Mechanical Properties of Wood-Based Grid Sandwich Structures

Abstract

In order to reduce the weight of the panels used in buildings and minimize the use of wood, it is of great practical significance to study the mechanical properties of wood-based sandwich structures for adaptation to modern wood-structured buildings. In this paper, a wood-based pyramid structure specimen with large interconnection space was designed and prepared first. Based on the results of the flat compression, in order to strengthen the core layer of the sandwich structure, an interlocking grid structure can be used. The mechanical properties of two kinds of structure specimens, including bearing capacity, compressive strength, specific strength, load–mass ratio, safety factor distribution, and specific energy absorption, were studied by means of experimental test, theoretical analysis, and finite element analysis. It was concluded that the apparent density of the two structures was lower than that of the materials of which they were composed. However, the overall flat compressive strength of the two structures was higher than that of their constituent materials, which were high-strength materials in the field of natural materials. The mechanical properties of the interlocking grid structures were better than those of the pyramid structures. Based on the criterion of cell structure stability, it can be concluded that the wood-based pyramid structure was a flexural-dominant structure, and the interlocking grid structure was a tensile-dominant structure. The results show that the core layer design plays an important role in the mechanical properties and failure modes of wood-based sandwich structures.