Durable adhesives for large laminated timber

Large laminated timber (LT) made of hardwood is widely used as the main constitutional element of goods such as furniture, pianos and doors. A high durability of LT is essential to these products. This study focused on finding as to what adhesives were acceptable as highly durable adhesives for LT. Twelve different adhesives such as resorcinol-formaldehyde resin, aqueous emulsion-type isocyanate resin, poly(vinyl acetate) emulsion, epoxy resin, etc. were used. The durability of LT, i.e., the percentage of delamination length of LT under tests such as humidity and temperature cycling tests, and outdoor tests, was discussed in relation to the adhesive shear strength of a lap joint (LJ). The results showed that the percentage of delamination length under both low −20°C for 16 h and high-temperature 50°C for 8 h cycling tests (temperature-resistance) on LT indicated a strong trend with the adhesive shear strength of the LJ exposed to dry air at 100°C for 24 h. In addition, the percentage of delamination length under outdoor exposure test for three months (outdoor-resistance) of the LT showed a trend with the adhesive shear strength of the LJ exposed to dry air at 100°C for 24 h, as well as with the adhesive shear strength of the LJ immersed in water at 60°C for 3 h. These trends pointed out that the thermal stability of the adhesive from −20°C for 16 h up to 50°C for 8 h was an important parameter in order to improve adhesive durability for the LT.