Modeling of Falling Ball Impact Test Response on Solid, Veneer, and Traditional Engineered Wood Floorings of Several Hardwoods

Abstract

Hardness is a key mechanical property of flooring materials. In this study, the performance of veneer floorings (with a top layer thickness of 0.6 mm) was investigated by dynamic hardness tests, comparing it with those of traditional engineered wood floorings (with a top layer thickness of 3 mm) and solid wood floorings. Two hardwoods commonly used on wood flooring, viz. Quercus robur L. and Hymenaea courbaril L., and two fast-growing hardwoods, Eucalyptus globulus Labill. and Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden, were tested as top layers. To compare their usage properties, a dynamic impact hardness test involving steel balls with three diameters and five different drop heights was carried out, measuring the footprint diameter (FD) and the indentation depth (ID). The data from 4800 impacts, corresponding to 180 different individual groups (4 hardwood species × 3 ball diameters × 5 drop heights × 3 floor types) were analyzed. The results showed that the general response in terms of both FD and ID was better in the engineered wood floorings than in solid wood floorings, and that the veneer floorings (0.6 mm) showed better behavior than traditional engineered wood floorings (3.0 mm). Furthermore, for the veneer floorings, the two fast-growing hardwood species tested, which have significantly different densities, showed similar behavior to traditional hardwoods, suggesting that they would be suitable for valorization in the wood flooring industry.

Transforming Tree Topping Waste into Flooring: A Study on the Production and Evaluation of Oriented Strand Board Finish using Urban and Garden Residues

“…Additionally, the veneer ooring (0.6 mm) showed better behavior than traditional engineered wood ooring (3 mm). This suggests that engineered woods are suitable for valorization in the wood ooring industry (Sepliarsky et al, 2022).…”

Janka Hardness Evaluation of Plantation-Grown Eucalyptus nitens for Engineered Flooring Applications

“…This is due to the steel ball used in the Janka hardness test penetrated the substrate (Figure 11). Similarly, Sepliarsky, Acuña [3] reports that dynamic hardness test results conducted on veneer floorings with a top layer of 0.6 mm thickness and high density fibreboard (HDF) backing exhibited performance levels comparable with solid timber flooring and traditional engineered flooring with a top layer thickness of 3 mm of the same species. However, it should be noted that although veneer products will give higher hardness values when combined with a high-density substrate, the product tends to have a limited technical lifespan.…”

“…The use of timber is common in domestic/commercial flooring applications due to its strong influence on aesthetics [1,2]. The timber flooring products are categorised as solid timber, parquet, engineered and veneer floorings [3]. Solid timber flooring is made from a single piece of hardwood while engineered timber flooring has a multilayer structure usually consisting of an inner core with a thin layer of solid timber on top [3,4].…”

“…The timber flooring products are categorised as solid timber, parquet, engineered and veneer floorings [3]. Solid timber flooring is made from a single piece of hardwood while engineered timber flooring has a multilayer structure usually consisting of an inner core with a thin layer of solid timber on top [3,4]. This multilayer laminated structure increases the stability of the flooring and the thin top layers facilitate the production of greater floor volume using the same amount of solid timber [5].…”

“…This multilayer laminated structure increases the stability of the flooring and the thin top layers facilitate the production of greater floor volume using the same amount of solid timber [5]. Therefore, the current trend for novel product development with quality improvements supported by new consumer habits has made engineered timber flooring more competitive over solid flooring products [3,6,7].…”