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The tensile shear strength of veneer lap joints was characterised. The joints were produced with an Automated Bonding Evaluation System (ABES) using urea-formaldehyde (UF) as well as melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF) adhesive formulated for particleboard production. At a fixed heating temperature of 1108C, a systematic increase in bond strength was observed for both adhesives with increasing cure time. The absolute bond strength was significantly higher for MUF compared to UF. Nanoindentation experiments with the same specimens used for ABES revealed a very hard, stiff and brittle character of the UF resin, whereas the MUF proved significantly less hard and stiff, and less brittle. Wood cell walls in contact with adhesive, i.e., where adhesive penetration into the cell wall was assumed, showed significantly altered mechanical properties. Such cell walls were harder, stiffer and more brittle than unaffected reference cell walls. These effects were slightly more pronounced for UF than for MUF. Comparing UF and MUF, the micromechanical properties of cured adhesive and interphase cell walls confirm earlier observations that tougher adhesives can lead to higher macroscopic bond strength. In strong contrast to that, no obvious correlation was found between micromechanical properties and the strong cure time dependence of macroscopic bond strength.

Various salts derived from melamine and organic acids were prepared and used as melamine substitutes for melamine urea formaldehyde (MUF) resins. The synthesis of these melamine salts and a detailed characterization of their stoichiometry are described. All salts form 1 : 1 or 1 : 2 stoichiometries in a homogeneous reaction. They crystallize during cooling of the hot and diluted reaction mixture. Both 13C–NMR and 15N–NMR data are reported and point toward the formation of real ionic structures. Most salts have higher water solubility than that of pure melamine and are tested for their ability to substitute melamine in MUF resins. The mechanical and chemical properties of plywood panels made up of traditional MUF resins and mixtures of UF resins with melamine salts are investigated. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 1654–1661, 2001

Micromechanical properties of cured polymeric diphenylmethane diisocyanate (pMDI) and urea formaldehyde (UF) adhesive and wood cell walls (beech) in adhesive contact compared with cell walls without adhesive contact were measured in situ by means of nanoindentation. Using UV-microphotometry obtained absorbance spectra of micromechanical investigated cell wall regions gave a strong indicator for the presence of pMDI compounds in wood cell walls. Nanoindentation results reveal that both pure UF and UF-penetrated cell walls show a very brittle character. In contrast, pMDI adhesive is very tough and soft at the same time, and when diffused in cell walls, it does not mechanically embrittle the cell structure.

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