Flexural Properties of Oil Palm Wood Based Glue Laminated Timber Using Finite Element Method

Abstract

The anatomical structure of oil palm wood is only to a limited extent comparable to common wood species used in construction. Typical for monocotyledons, the material is composed of high density vascular bundles and a parenchymatous tissue of lower density. In three experiment sets, the local and global moduli of elasticity (MOE) and the flexural strength of oil palm wood based GLT are determined using FEM and various influencing parameters are investigated in a sensitivity analysis. Furthermore, the application of densified tension lamellas is studied. The results of the modelling are compared with the results from mechanical tests. Significant differences, mainly attributed to the specific parameters of the selected material, are observed. The results of this preliminary study serve as a starting point for computer-aided optimisation and modelling of other oil palm-based products.

Elastomechanical Properties of Glued Laminated Timber Made of Strength Graded Oil Palm Lumber

“…As the oil palm wood (similar to other palms) differs in its structure and properties compared to common wood species, special product development (including material respectively product modelling) and process development is necessary to achieve market competitiveness. Hackel [33] modelled the bending properties described in this paper using the finite element method (FEM). For load bearing products, grading and trimming of the lumber, long term durability under load (and wet climate) and design values as well as standardization (matching with building codes) are significant challenges.…”