Selected properties of plywood bonded with low-density polyethylene film from different wood species

Abstract

In this work, the effects of wood species and thickness of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film on the properties of environmentally-friendly plywood were studied. Rotary-cut veneers from four wood species (beech, birch, hornbeam and poplar) and LDPE film of four thicknesses (50, 80, 100 and 150 µm) as an adhesive were used for making plywood samples. The findings of this study demonstrated that plywood samples using all the investigated wood species bonded with LDPE film showed satisfactory physical–mechanical properties. Poplar veneer provided the lowest values for bending strength, modulus of elasticity and thickness swelling of all the plywood samples, but the bonding strength was at the same level as birch and hornbeam veneer. Beech plywood samples had the best mechanical properties. An increase in LDPE film thickness improved the physical–mechanical properties of plastic-bonded plywood.