Acrylic Resin Filling Cell Lumen Enabled Laminated Poplar Veneer Lumber as Structural Building Material

Abstract

Wood is a viable alternative to traditional steel, cement, and concrete as a structural material for building applications, utilizing renewable resources and addressing the challenges of high energy consumption and environmental pollution in the construction industry. However, the vast supply of fast-growing poplar wood has bottlenecks in terms of low strength and dimensional stability, making it difficult to use as a structural material. An environmentally friendly acrylic resin system was designed and cured in this study to fill the poplar cell cavities, resulting in a new type of poplar laminated veneer lumber with improved mechanical strength and dimensional stability. The optimized acrylic resin system had a solid content of 25% and a curing agent content of 10% of the resin solid content. The cured filled poplar veneer gained 81.36% of its weight and had a density of 0.69 g/cm3. The static flexural strength and modulus of elasticity of the further prepared laminated veneer lumber were 123.12 MPa and 12,944.76 MPa, respectively, exceeding the highest flexural strength required for wood structural timber for construction (modulus of elasticity 12,500 MPa and static flexural strength 35 MPa). Its tensile strength, impact toughness, hardness, attrition value, water absorption, water absorption thickness expansion, and water absorption width expansion were 58.81%, 19.50%, 419.18%, 76.83%, 44.38%, 13.90%, and 37.60% higher than untreated laminated veneer lumber, demonstrating improved mechanical strength and dimensional stability, significantly. This method provides a novel approach to encouraging the use of low-value-added poplar wood in high-value-added structural building material applications.

Cell Wall Modification Based on Combination Reagents to Improve Dimensional Stability of Wood with High Efficiency

“…Thus, plantation wood has emerged as a major alternative resource due to its short growth cycle and low price. However, its typical defects, such deformation, cracking, and poor dimensional stability, which are derived from its thin cell wall and loose structure, limit the application in some demanding fields . The elimination of these deficiencies will broaden the application scenarios for plantation wood.…”

Modification Mechanisms and Properties of Poplar Wood via Grafting with 2-Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate/N,N′-methylenebis(acrylamide) onto Cell Walls

“…Plantation wood provides a solid foundation for the wood industry in China. There is no doubt that fast-growing wood is a plentiful and affordable material, but its application in some fields with high requirements for mechanical properties is limited as a result of its common defects, such as easy deformation and cracking as well as a poor dimensional stability [4]. Thus, it is essential to improve wood's dimensional stability to maximize wood utilization.…”

Study on the Effect of Acrylic Acid Emulsion on the Properties of Poplar Wood Modified by Sodium Silicate Impregnation

“…In addition to being applied to the surface, the excellent flowability of acrylic emulsions also makes them suitable for impregnating the pores of wood. Gao et al [19] designed an eco-friendly acrylic resin system to fill the cell cavities of poplar wood to produce a new type of poplar plywood with improved mechanical strength and dimensional stability, addressing the low strength and dimensional stability of fast-growing poplar wood.…”