Plywood made from plasma-treated veneers: melamine uptake, dimensional stability, and mechanical properties

Abstract

This study investigates the dimensional stability and mechanical properties of plywood boards made of thermally modified and unmodified beech veneers that have undergone plasma pre-treatment before melamine resin impregnation. The water and melamine resin uptake and resulting weight percent gain of the veneers were investigated, whereby the air plasma pre-treated veneers showed improved liquid uptake. Five-layer plywood boards were then manufactured and tested for their dimensional stability, compressive strength, bending strength, and tensile strength. Plywood boards made of thermally modified and plasma pre-treated veneers showed a significantly improved dimensional stability, along with small influences on their mechanical properties.