Effects of grain angles of face veneer on surface wave velocities and dynamic shear moduli of wood-based composites

The effects of grain angle of face veneer on surface wave velocity and dynamic shear modulus of three types of wood-based composites were examined using a surface wave propagation method. It was found that grain-angle dependence of surface wave velocity and dynamic shear modulus indeed exists for wood-based composites. Grain angles of face veneer were found to have substantial effects on the surface wave velocities and dynamic shear moduli of wood–plastic composite (WP), wood–fiberboard composite (WF), and wood–metal composite (WM). The orthotropic properties of the three composites were defined as the ratio of surface wave velocities at 0° and 90° grain angles (V₀/V₉₀), which were 3.7, 2.2, and 2.0 for WP, WF, and WM, respectively. For WP, WF, and WM, the dynamic shear moduli in the 90° grain angle of face veneer were approximately 7%, 19%, and 25% of that in the 0° grain angle, respectively. The relationships between grain angles of face veneer and the shear moduli of the three types of wood-based composites could be represented by Hankinson’s equation, and their optimal n values were 2.1, 1.2, and 1.3 for WP, WF, and WM, respectively.Part of this study was presented at the 15th Annual Meeting of the Chugoku Shikoku Branch of the Japan Wood Research Society, Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan, September 2003