Production and mechanical performance of scrimber composite manufactured from poplar wood for structural applications

• Published in: Journal of wood science Vol. 62; no. 5; pp. 429 - 440
• Main Authors: He, Min-Juan, Zhang, Jing, Li, Zheng, Li, Mao-Lin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Springer Japan 01.10.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Bamboo; bamboo products; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; China; Composite materials; Construction materials; engineering; Life Sciences; Materials Science; Mechanical properties; Mechanical tests; Original Article; Plant species; Poplar; prices; Timber (structural); trees; Wood; Wood Science & Technology; China; Laminated composites; Mechanical properties; Experimental test; Scrimber; Construction material
• ISSN: 1435-0211; 1611-4663
• DOI: 10.1007/s10086-016-1568-1

The use of wood-based composite material for structural purposes is of increasing interest. A scrimber composite, which is manufactured from thermally modified fast-growing wood, is introduced in this paper. The production of such scrimber is able to reduce the inherent variability in mechanical properties of natural wood material, and also allows the effective utilization of fast-growing wood, which is widely available with a low price in China. Experimental tests were conducted to determine the mechanical properties of the scrimber composite. A comparison of mechanical properties of the proposed scrimber composite with other timber/bamboo-based materials is then reported. It is shown that the scrimber composite has desirable mechanical performance as a construction material, which is comparable or superior to those of engineered timber/bamboo products. This study contributes to a potential utilization of fast-growing tree species, and the presented mechanical tests can serve as a fundamental basis for more applications of such composite material in practical engineering.