Bending Strength of Finger Jointed Kelat Wood (<i>Syzygium</i> spp.) as Affected by Finger Length and Orientation

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the bending strength of finger joint of Kelat wood (Syzygiumspp.) bonded using Phenol Resorcinol Formaldehyde (PRF). Three finger-jointed Kelat wood with finger length of 12 mm, 13 mm and 15 mm respectively were manufactured and tested. In addition, the effects of different orientation (horizontal and vertical) of fingers were also examined. Bending tests were carried out to determine the Modulus of Elasticity (MOE) and Modulus of Rupture (MOR) of the finger jointed samples in accordance to BS EN 373 standard. The results show that 15 mm finger length exhibited significantly higher means of MOE and MOR with the values of 17635.12 MPa and 72.59 MPa respectively, as compared to the shorter finger length (p≤0.05). This suggests that the bending strength was influenced by the finger length. The result also shows that bending strength of vertical finger joint is not significantly different compared to horizontal finger joint (p≥0.05). Therefore, the results obtained in this study is useful to provide base line data for a subsequent work which involve the manufacturing of glued laminated timber (glulam) from this timber species.

Modelling and Multi-Objective Optimisation of Finger Joints: Improving Flexural Performance and Minimising Wood Waste

“…The authors found that for all species, as the finger length increases, the bending strength also increases due to a larger bonding area [9]. In the study by Abdul Hamid et al [10], the impact of finger length and orientation on the bending strength of the finger joint made with Kelat wood (Syzygium spp. ), one of the commercial timbers in Malaysia, was determined.…”

Comparative Analysis of Bending Strength Properties between Glued and Un-Glued Finger Joints in Beech and Fir Wood Species

“…Therefore, selecting the appropriate finger joint composition is of utmost importance, and considerable attention is dedicated to this aspect. [4] To enhance process efficiency and predictability, numerous authors [5][6][7][8][9] have investigated various aspects of finger joint strength using experimental research, mathematical modeling, and numerical simulation. Their research aims to achieve a single objective -improving process efficiency and control to enhance predictability.…”

Bending properties of finger-jointed Malaysian dark red meranti

“…A literature review reveals only a handful of research papers related to structural finger joints produced using local Malaysian hardwood. Hamid et al (2016) managed to produce finger joints with more than 70% joint efficiency in bending (compared to unjointed wood) for kelat (Syzygium spp.) when using a 15 mm length finger profile.…”

“…Hamid et al. (2016) managed to produce finger joints with more than 70% joint efficiency in bending (compared to unjointed wood) for kelat ( Syzygium spp.) when using a 15 mm length finger profile.…”