Engineered Wood Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Engineered Wood - Research Paper Example This increases the durability of the products. Composition of engineered wood The aspects of manufacturing of engineered wood that help differentiate between the products made from it and also cause differences in the performance characteristics of different products include the quality of veneer used in engineered wood, the species and density of the timber used in it, the arrangement and thickness of veneers, and the type of bond between veneers (Austral Plywoods, 2012). The softwoods and hardwoods that are used to make lumber are also useful for making the products of engineered wood. Engineered wood that is made of fibers or wood particles are also made from wood waste or sawmill scraps. The oriented strand board is made from trees that belong to the poplar family that is a non-structural yet common species. Similar engineered cellulosic products are made from a variety of lignin-containing materials that include but are not limited to rice straw, wheat straw, sugar cane residue, kenaf stalks, and hemp stalks. Products made from these materials contain vegetable fibers instead of actual wood. â€Å"The best engineered wood floors  are built having 3-12 multiple ply layers†¦that are cross layered, glued and pressed together† (Hosking, 2012). ... cts can be categorized into a variety of types that include plywood, glued laminated timber, oriented strand board, laminated veneer lumber, and cross laminated timber. They are discussed as follows: Plywood Plywood is a kind of structural panel made in wood that is often referred to as the original product of engineered wood. Plywood is made from the cross-laminated veneer sheets that are bonded with one another with moisture-resistant and durable adhesives under specific conditions of pressure and heat. The stiffness and strength of panel in both directions are enhanced by changing the direction of grain of the veneers layer by layer. Other panels of structural wood include structural composite panels and oriented strand board. Glued laminated timber Glued laminated timber is made up of numerous layers of dimensional timber that are bonded with one another with the help of adhesives that are resistant to moisture. These adhesives help create large structural members of great streng th which can be used in buildings as horizontal beams or vertical columns. Glued laminated timber provides extensive design flexibility when it is manufactured in the curved shape. Oriented strand board Oriented strand board is a structural panel made from rectangular strands of engineered wood which are first oriented longitudinally and then organized in layers that are tied together with adhesives that are cured with heat and are resistant to moisture. Individual layers of the oriented strand board are cross-oriented that helps them develop stiffness along with strength in the panel. Oriented strand board is manufactured in the form of large continuous mats. The quality of oriented strand board is consistent throughout and there are no gaps, voids, or laps in it. Laminated veneer lumber