Mechanical properties of a balsa wood veneer structural sandwich core material

Abstract

Balsa wood is an appropriate core material for structural sandwich applications due to its high strength-and stiffness-to-weight ratios. However, the mechanical properties vary considerably owing to the inherent scattering of natural wood materials. One approach to reduce this scatter and tailor the mechanical properties according to specific application needs is to recompose the natural material into a veneered material consisting of veneer layers of different grain orientations, which are adhesively bonded together. The mechanical properties of such a veneered balsa wood, composed of alternating 0°/90° grain orientations, were investigated at ambient temperature according to corresponding standards. The properties were significantly influenced by the orthotropy on the material scale within one veneer layer and on the system scale within the assembled veneer layers. Standardized experimental setups and specimen geometries may produce artifacts such as buckling or strain hardening which deviate from the material behavior in real structures. The thin adhesive between the veneer layers did not negatively affect the mechanical behavior since failure occurred within the veneer layers and not in the interfaces.

Differences and Similarities between the Wood of Three Low-Density and Homogenous Species: Linden, Balsa, and Paulownia

“…The Brinell hardness of the three wood species had values corresponding to the values reported in other research studies in the field [38,39]), but there were also small differences between them. For example, the Brinell hardness of balsa wood was only 22.8% lower than that of paulownia wood, although the density difference between the two wood species was 74.4%.…”

Sustainable Alternatives for the Development of Thermoset Composites with Low Environmental Impact

“…Shir Mohammadi et al [46], for example, demonstrated that laminated veneer lumber (LVL) balsa improved the toughness of a core material compared to solid balsa, although it is dependent on the lamination adhesive. Wu et al [47] similarly confirmed the advantage of using veneered balsa wood in comparison to block material, since the first one reduces property scatter. Nowadays, veneer-based core materials are commercially available as Baltek ® VBC from 3A Composites.…”

Properties, Applications and Recent Developments of Cellular Solid Materials: A Review

“…The end-grain balsa panels from Ecuador's shear characteristics show the influence of the density, adhesive connections and shear plane on the shear characteristics of the balsa panels. The balsa's density grew along with its shear stiffness and strength [13]. Due to plastic deformations in the tracheid, certain specimens showed notable ductility.…”