Characterisation of the bending stiffness components of MDF panels from full-field slope measurements

This paper deals with the characterisation of bending stiffness components of medium density fibreboard (MDF) by carrying out a single plate bending test. The approach couples full-field slope measurements with an inverse identification method. MDF panels manufactured with different fractions of Eucalyptus fibres and sugarcane bagasse particles were used. The slope maps generated across the plate surface were measured by the deflectometry technique. The curvature fields of the deformed plate were reconstructed by numerical differentiation afterwards. The virtual fields method was then implemented for material parameter identification under the framework of Kirchhoff–Love plate bending theory. The elastic properties obtained from the proposed data reduction (i.e. simultaneous identification of modulus of elasticity, Poisson’s ratio and shear modulus) were compared with values determined from classical three-point bending tests and reported in the literature. The set of properties were found in relatively good agreement.