Laminated Veneer Lumber - Wood-Based Panels Technology

11/4/2017 LaminatedVeneerLumberWoodBasedPanelsTechnology
DepartmentofForestProductsMarketing
WoodBasedPanelsTechnology
LVL
LaminatedVeneerLumber

OverviewoftheProduct,ManufacturingandMarketSituation
November,1998
ErjaNeuvonen
MinnaSalminen
JaniHeiskanen
MichaHochstrate
MatthiasWeber

http://www.hochstrate.de/micha/finnland/reports/replvl.html 1/13
TableofContents
1.Definition
2.Introduction
3.HistoryofLVL
4.ManufactureofLVL
5.StructuralPropertiesofLVL
6.FieldsofApplication
7.QualityControl
8.1DevelopmentoftheLVLProductionlinesworldwide
8.2LVLManufacturerinEurope
8.2.1MoreaboutKertoLVL
8.2.2FinnforestBuildingProductsDivision
9.Appendix
Fig.1OekozentrumNRW,Hamm,Germany
1.Definition
LaminatedVeneerLumber(LVL)isalayeredcompositeofwoodveneersandadhesive.Henceitcanbeconsideredasa
veneerbasedproduct.
2.Introduction
LVLisaversatileengineeredproductandcombinesthebestofmodernprocesstechnologywiththeaestheticbeautyof
naturalwood.IthasbeenusedstructurallyforseveralyearsintheNorthernAmericaandinmanyEuropeancountries.
LVLismadeupofparallellaminationsofveneer,gluedandprocessedtogethertoformmaterialofthicknesssimilarto
sawntimber.ThedistinguishingdifferencebetweenLVLandplywoodistheorientationoftheveneerlayersasshownin
Figure2.
Fig.2PlyOrientation:LVLversusPlywood
LVL represents a new technology in wood utilisation and its production is steadily increasing and there is much
developmentworkunderwayindifferentlocationsinboththeproductionmethodsandtheapplicationsofLVL.During
thelasttwentyyearsLVLhasbecomeanimportantnewproductwhichhascreatedconsiderableinterestsinthebuilding
field.LVLisahighqualitystructuralmaterialwithuniformengineeringpropertiesanddimensionalflexibilitywhichmakes
itsuperiortosawntimberandgluedlaminatedtimber,particularlyforlargespanstructures.
Itsapplicationsrangefrompublicbuildings,largeprefabricatedbuildings,productcomponentsandindustrialwarehouses
to customized wooden houses. New application are constantly being developed in close cooperation with customers
and woodconstruction professionals. In short, LVL provides an ideal solution, when features such as durability, light
weight, and dimensional precision are essential. These attractive features lead an everincreasing popularity both in
Europe and the United States. The principal European market countries for LVL are the Scandinavian countries,
GermanyandFrance.
LVLs unique strength and versatility is also shared by another close relative, Parallel Strand Lumber (PSL). PSL is a
structural wood product which is constructed from softwood veneer that has been further sized into long and narrow
stripsthatarethengluedintoparallellaminations.InthisreportPSLisnotfurtherdescribed.
Engineered lumber is enjoying increased market acceptance and is displacing solidsawn structural timber. There are
manyreasonsfortherisingpopularityofthisengineeredwoodproducts.
Large diameter trees for sawn timber are less readily available in some markets creating an excellent opportunity for
LVL. The veneering and gluing process of LVL enables large members to be made from relatively small trees thereby
providing for efficient utilisation of wood fibre. In other words, LVL enables small trees to be converted into large size
planks.And,LVLcanbemanufacturedfromrawmaterialswhichcouldnotpreviouslybeutilised.
Withminormodifications,plywoodmillscanbeconvertedtoproduceLVL,extendingtheirproductlinesandopeningup
newmarkets.
3.HistoryofLVL
LVLwasfirstusedtomakeairplanepropellersandotherhighstrengthaircraftpartsduringWorldWarII.
Thetermveneerwassomewhatsynonymouswithplywoodpriortothe1970s.Butallthatbegantochangeduringthe
70s when Art Troutner and Herold Thomas (in the USA) used parallel laminated plies of veneer without crossbanding
(crosslamination) to form the top and bottom flanges of structural Ibeam shaped trusses and joists. Troutner and
Thomasofficiallyestablishedtheircompany,presentlyknownasTJInternational(USA),inearly1960tosellanunusual
new product called "truss joists". This openweb truss used machine stress rated timber as top and bottom chords.
Thesechordswereconnectedbysteelwebbing.Thisremarkablenewproductcarriedmoreloadperpoundofitsown
weightthananyotherstructuralproductthenavailable.
Troutnercontinued to improve the openweb product and invent additionallumberbasedproducts.Auniquefloorjoist

designed for the upperend residential market was soon developed. A connecting web of plywood replaced the open
websteeltubing.TheresultwasastructurallyefficientIshapethatconcentratedthewoodatthetopandbottomwhereit
ismostneededforstrengthandsupport.
Themarketwasreadyforthisproductandsalesclimbed.Theproductslightweight,strength,uniformity,andabilityto
spanlongdistancesmadeitanidealsubstituteforsolidsawntimber.
HowevertheproductionofconsistentlyhighqualityIbeamsrequiredadependablesupplyofhighstrengthflangetimber,
andsolidsawntimberofthisqualitywasbecomingincreasinglydifficulttosecure.
Troutners inventive mind then shifted to a new level of creativity. He subsequently developed a parallel laminated
assemblyof1/10inch(2.54mm)thickDouglasFirveneerstocreatetimberofsufficientstrengthanduniformproperties
tobeusedasflangematerial.Theroughassembly,calledabillet,wasthenrippedintodesiredwidths.
TJsMICROLAM,composedofplywoodwebbingandlaminatedveneerlumber(LVL)flanges,thenemergedasthefirst
commerciallysuccessfullyengineeredtimbermassproducedbyanycompanyintheworld.
Demand,TJsproductsandthemanufacturingfacilitiesfortheseproductsexpandedduringthe70s.TheTJproductand
themarketitservedwerewellpreparedtotakeadvantageofthescarcityoflargediameteroldgrowthtimberwhichhad
beenthetraditionalsourceofsolidsawntrusses,headers,beams,andjoists.
TJInternationalisnowadaystheleadingmanufacturerandmarketerofengineeredlumberproductsintheworld.
Fig.3AnIJoistandsawntimber
4.ManufactureofLVL
Debarked4,9mlongsprucelogsaresoakedin+50Cwaterfor24hours.Logsareconveyedtothecrosscutsawand
cutinto1,6mpeelerlogs.Blocksarerotarycutto3,2mmthickveneer,whicharecuttosheetsandthelengthdepends
onwantedLVLlumberlength.Peelercoreandroundingwastearechippedandusedformanufactureofpaper.Veneers
are dried in a continuous roller drier so that moisture content is below 5%, what is adjusted with automatic moisture
meter.
In layup line sheets are graded, too small and narrow sheets are removed and too wet sheets are separated to re
drying. Classifier chooses the best sheets as face veneers. Sorting is organised so that weight of each veneer is
determined and veneers are stacked into different piles to mix the veneers. The leading manufacturer in the USA, TJ
International,gradestheveneerswithadvancedultrasonicgradingtechnologyinadditiontovisualgrading.Dependent
ontheenduseoftheLVLproducttheultrasonicallygradedveneersarespecificallylocatedinthematerialtoefficiently
utilisethestrengthcharacteristicsoftheveneergrades.Forexample,iftheenduseoftheLVLisascaffoldplank,the
highergradeveneerswillbeplacedattheouterfacesoftheplank.
Thescarfsawmakes3cmlongchamfersinbothendsoftheveneers.Glueisaddedonthescarfofthefaceveneer.
Feedingisorganisedsothatfaceandcoreveneersarefedinacorrectorder.Glueisthermosettingphenolicresin.Using
specialtypeofcurtaincoater,glueisspreadonuppersideofeachsheet,exceptontheupperfaces.Thesheetsarelaid
uptoacontinuousmat,sothatveneerscarfjointsaremorethan10cmapartfromeachother.
InmanufactureofKertoSveneersarelaidupsothegraindirectionisthesameinallveneers.InKertoQandKertoT
someveneersarelaidsothattheirgrainiscontrarytothegraindirectionmostoftheveneers.Thisconstructiongives
rigidityfortheLVLitdoesnotwarpandtwist.
SamplesfordifferentKertoQlayups:
thickness m n Symbol
27 9 2 IIIIIII
33 11 2 IIIIIIIII
39 13 3 IIIIIIIIII
45 15 3 IIIIIIIIIIII
51 17 3 IIIIIIIIIIIIII
57 19 4 IIIIIIIIIIIIII
63 21 5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
69 23 5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
thicknessinmm
m=totalno.ofveneers
n=no.ofrectangularveneers
When the wanted thickness is reached, the mat is prepressed to spread the glue evenly on the downside of the
veneers.Billets,width1,6mandthickness2775mm,arecuttodesiredlength(max.26m),thantheyarefedintothe
hotpress. This hotpress is a twodaylight press, the pressing temperature is about +145 C . The pressing time
dependsonthethicknessofthebillet.
LVLbillets are cut accurate to the customers requirements. In rip saw billets are cut to either longitudinal direction to
beams(KertoSandKertoT)ortoboards(KertoQ).InFinnforestfactorythereisaspecialsawforobliquesawing,so
billetscanbesawedstraightorobliquebycustomersrequest.
5.StructuralPropertiesofLVL
1.Introduction
ThemostimportantreasonforLVLssuccessarethequalitiesoftheproductitselfanditsproperties.Themanufacturing
processprovidesLVLwithahomogenousstructure.
InLVL,usuallythegrainofeachlayerrunsinthesame(long)directionwiththeresultthatitisstrongwhenedgeloaded
asabeamorfaceloadedasaplank.
Thiskindoflaminationiscalledparallellamination,anditproducesamaterialwithgreateruniformityandpredictability
thanthesamedimensionmaterialmadebycrosslamination.
CrosslaminatedLVLofferssuperiorshrinkagepropertiesperpendiculartothelongdirectionoftheboardandincreased
strengthpropertiesiffacedloadedasaplank.
2.Strengthproperties
One of the main ideas of LVL is to disperse or remove strengthreducing characteristics. LVL is an engineered, highly
predictable, uniform lumber product, because natural defects such as knots, slope of grain and splits have been
dispersedthroughoutthematerialorhavebeenremovedaltogetherwithintheveneerassembly.Inadditiontothis,the
veneersheetsareplacedinspecificsequenceandlocationwithintheproducttomaximizethestrongerveneergrades.
Thiscanbeconsideredasanengineeredconfigurationoftheveneers.
HenceLVLsstrengthpropertiesareconsequentlysuperiortothoseofgluedlaminatedtimber(glulam)orstressgraded
timber.Theaverageofmoststrengthpropertiesishigherandthevariationissignificantlylowerwhencomparedtosolid
wood.LVLisahighqualityproductthatismoreuniformandexhibitimprovedstructuralpropertiesoversawntimber.
Product Bending Modulesof Compression Horizontal

Stress Elasticity (perpendicular) Shear
Laminated 2,800 2,000,000 500 285

Veneer
Lumberb
ParallelStrand 2,900 2,000,000 600/400c 290/210c

Lumber
Select 1,800 1,800,000 625 95

Structural
DouglasFir
aForconvertingEnglishtoInternationalSystemunits,1psi=6.89x103Pa
bBendingStressofLVLmadeentirelyfromhighgradeveneerscanbeashighas4,250
psi(29.3Mpa)
cParallel/perpendiculartowidefaceofstrands
Source:ProgressiveArchitecture,p.35(R.McNattandR.C.Moody)
Table1:ComparisonofStructuralPropertiesDesignValue(psi)a
Theillustrateddesign values clearly compare favourably with highqualitysawntimber.Whilethemodulesofelasticity

(also responsible for the stiffness) of LVL and PSL lumber are 10 percent higher than that of Douglas fir, the design
strengthinbendingandtensionismorethanfiftypercenthigher.
IngeneralitcanberoughlysaidthatthestrengthofLVLis1,3timesthestrengthofglulamand2timesthestrengthof
sawntimber.
Likeotherproductsmadebylaminatingpiecesofwoodtogethertocreateastructuralelementsuchasplywood,glulam,
parallel strand lumber (PSL), or OSB/Waferboard, LVL offers the advantages of higher reliability and lower variability
throughdefectremovalanddispersal.
Yet, the strenght figures only tell half the story. According to a Smith Barney report:: Management (of TJM Trus Joist
MacMillan,USA)speaksaboutthefactthatifoneweretosupporta1000squarefootfloorwithtraditional2"x10"floor
joists,itwouldrequirethecuttingdownofthreetrees.(TrusJoist)woodenIjoistscoulddothesamejobandrequire
the cutting down of only one tree. () This could result in a more efficient use of wood fibre. (Dobi, 1993 From
PlywoodandVeneerBasedProducts,RichardF.Baldwin,1995)
Whethertheusageratioisactually3:1orsomethingless,recentdesigninformationandonsiteexperienceindicatesthat
anengineeredstructuralsystemwillrequiresignificantlylesswoodfibrewhencomparedtosolidwood.
3.Dimensionstability
LVLisdimensionallyprecise,straight,itdoesnotwarpbutcancup,andhasminorchangesduetohumidity.
Everyotherveneersheetintheveneerlayupisplacedtightsideupordowntoensurethatthefinalproductwillnotwarp
ortwist.
4.AvailableLength
LVLisavailableinanylengthonlylimitedbythepresssizeortransportationrestrictions.Thisfactmakesissuperiorto
sawntimberwhichisavailablefrom1.8mupto6.6minFinland.ThemaximunlengthofLVLisonlyexceedbyglued
laminatedtimberorfingerjointedstructuralsawntimber.
5.AvailableWidth
The maximun width of LVL is restricted up to 80 mm depending on the manufacturing process. Compared with sawn
timberorglulam,LVLisofferedinmuchsmallerwidths,butbecauseofitssuperiorstrengthpropertiesasmallercross
section of wood material is allowed in load bearing structures. In addition to this the crosssection of LVL can be
optimizedbyenlargingthehightofthecrosssectionasamajorfactorofthestiffness,andbyaccordinglyreducingthe
widthasaminorfactorofthestiffness.ConsequentlythemaximumavailablewidthofLVLismostlysufficientenoughfor
loadbearingstructures.
6.Uniformity
LVLisauniformproduct.
7.Splitting,Fissuresinthefinalproduct
HencetheveneersofLVLaredriedtothedesiredmoisturecontent,LVLdoesnotshrinkanyfurtherafterhotpressing.
As a result of this splits or fissures do not occur, whereas sawn timber and glued laminated timber are still subject to
shrinkageduetononefficientdrying.
8.WasteofMaterial
ThewasteofmaterialwhilemanufactureisminimalforLVLbecausenearlythewholelogisusedtomanufactureveneer,
andjustasmallamountofveneerisrejectedduetodefectremoval.
Incontrastthewasteofmaterialofsawntimberisconsiderableduetothesawingprocessitselfanddefectsintimber,
whichhavetobereducedorremovedbycrosscuttingoredging.
9.Appearance
Thenaturalaestheticbeautyofsawntimberincludestheappearanceofknots,wane,resinpockets,splits,slopeofgrain,
andafewotherlesssignificantdefects.Someofthesedefectshaveagreatinfluenceintheopticalqualityofthesawn
timberandcandiminishthevalueofthesawntimberinlargeextend.
LVLoffersamoreuniformsurfacewithnearlythesamebeautyofnaturalwood.Scarfjointsvisibleonthesurfacemight
beaproblemthatreducesthequalityoftheopticalappearanceifdarkcolouredresinssuchasPFresinsareused.
10.Qualityofthefinalproduct
LVLoffersthemoreconsistentqualitycomparedtosawntimber.Thevariationinthepropertiesislesssignificant.
11.FireResistance
LVLisawoodbasedproductandwillreacttofiremuchthesameasacomparablesizeofsolidsawntimberorglued
laminatedtimber.
ThePhenolFormaldehyderesinadhesiveusedinmanufactureareinertoncecured.Thereforetheydonotcontributeto
the fire load and the strength of the bond is not adversely affected by heat. When used in firerated floor or roof
assemblies,theperformanceofLVLissimilartosolidsawntimberorgluedlaminatedtimber.
6.Fieldsofapplication
LVLisnowusedinapplicationswherestrengthanddimensionalstabilityarerequired.
Beingahomogenousanddimensionallystablebuildingmaterial,LVLcanbeusedinbothbearingandnonbearingwalls,
asplanks,asbeams,asheaders,indoorandwindowframes,slidingdoorrails,steps,aswellasintherooftrussesof
singlefamilyhousesandengineeredbuildingconstructionssuchasswimminghalls,sporthalls,etc.
Fig.4ExterioruseofLVLboards,Seefeld,Germany
Fig.5SportshallinOulu,Finland
Fig.6RoofconstructionoutofLVLbeams,Parkstein,Germany
7.QualityControl
The manufacture of LVL requires an inhouse quality assurance organisation. Regular independent third party quality
auditsbyacertificationorganisationarearequiredpartofthemanufacturers'qualityassuranceprogram.
LVLproductsaretestedandapprovedforusebythemajorcodeandproductevaluationagenciesintheUnitedStates
andCanada.AllmanufacturedLVLproductswhichhavebeentestedandapprovedinthiswayshouldbearthesealof
the certification agency, the manufacturer, date of manufacture, grade of LVL and reference to any applicable code or
evaluationagencyapprovalnumbers.
LVLisaproprietaryproducthavingengineeringpropertiesthataredependentonthematerialsusedinthemanufacture
andontheproductassemblyandmanufacturingprocesses.Assuch,itdoesnotmeetacommonstandardofproduction.
Therefore, designers and installers should follow the design, use and installation guidelines of the individual
manufacturers.
The Canadian Construction Materials Centre (CCMC) has issued product evaluations for many of the LVL products
marketed in Canada. In the United States, most manufacturers have obtained product evaluation reports from the
CouncilofAmericanBuildingOfficials(CABO).
Currently,astandardforthespecificationforevaluationofstructuralcompositelumberproducts(suchasLVLandPSL)
is under development by ASTM. This standard will outline procedures for establishing, monitoring and reevaluating
structural capacities of structural composite lumber and will also detail minimum requirements for establishment of
qualitycontrol,assuranceandaudit.
8.1DevelopmentoftheLVLproductionlinesworldwide
The machinery to produce LVL is now available from several machinery manufacturer and is utilized by an increasing
numberofforestproductsmanufacturer.
ThelatestinformationgivenfromRauteWoodProcessingMachinery,Finlandis:
LVLismanufacturedintheUnitedStates,Canada,Finland,Japan,AustraliaandNewZealand.LVL'sgrowingpopularity
is also evidenced by the fact that Raute Wood Processing Machinery current order book includes five new LVL
productionlines.TwoarebeinginstalledinIndonesiaforSuryaDumaiGroup,whileKeyteciserectingalineinJapan.
This is already the second LVL line this Japanese company has ordered from Raute Wood. These lines will initially
producenonstructuralLVL,withtheintentionbeingtoproducestructuralproductinthefuture.
FinnforestisalsoexpandingitsproductioninFinlandandEvansProductsinB.C.,CanadahasalsopurchasedaRaute
WoodLVLline.
8.2LVLManufacturerinEurope
KERTObusinessunitisasignificantpartofFinnforest'soperations.
KERTOisaregisteredtrademark.TheFigurebelowshowsthetypicalKERTOTrademark.
KERTOmanufacturesandmarketsKertoLVL(laminatedveneerlumber),developedasaresultofthecompany'sown
researchanddevelopmentactivity.KERTO'smillislocatedatLohjainSouthernFinland.
KertoLVL is an exceptionally strong wood panel product made by gluing together veneers rotarypeeled from Finnish
softwood.
Finnforest has been the only company in Europe that manufactured this product until 1998. The annual production
capacity of the KertoLVL mill is approximately 60,000 m3. Exports account for almost 90% of total output. The most
importantmarketareasareGermany,France,SwedenandtheUnitedStates.
ThemanufacturinglineofKertoiscertificatedforISO9001,whichmeanssteadyqualityprocessesandremainingquality
forthecustomers.
TheswedishcompanyVnerply,oneofthebiggestplywoodmanufacturerinEurope,startedtheirLVLproductioninthe
beginningof1998anisgoingtobecometheonlycompetitorforKERTOinEurope.
Fig.7ManufacturingplantinLohja,Finland
Finnforest'sandtheKERTObusinessunit'sKERTOLVLexpertsworldwideworkinclosecollaborationwiththeproducts
end users. A highquality customeroriented product coupled with technical expertise in marketing is a powerful
combinationhighlyrespectedbyprofessionalsintheconstructionindustry.KERTOcontinuouslyenhancesitscustomer
serviceanditsproducts.KertoLVLproductsarefurtherprocessedatthemilltofitthecustomer'sapplicationneeds.
8.2.1MoreaboutKertoLVL
KertoLVLisanaturefriendlywoodproductmadefromFinnishsprucetreesutilizingthelatesttechnology.Itisastress
resistant structural material, used in securing both beams and plates. Due to its homogeneous and weather resistant
gluestructure,KertoLVLisverystrong,dimensionallypreciseandstraight.Itdoesnotwarpandhasonlyminorchanges
duetohumidity.KertoLVLmaintainsthesepropertiesandisveryfireresistant.
As a loadbearing material, Kerto is suitable for floor joist, lintels, purlins and for all roof shapes as joist and apperture
beams. The range of use varies from industrial and public buildings to industrial houses and demanding renovations.
KertoLVLisalsobeingusedinotherareasofapplication:inbuildingbridgesandwatertowers,mobilehomes,railway
sleepers,innoisebarriersonmotorways,inladdersandscaffoldingstructuresandalsoaspostsforbothloadbearing
andnonloadbearingwalls.
Multifunctionaluseofrawmaterialgivesdesignersgreatfreedomtocreateavariedenvironment.Naturally.
Fig.8Solartower"Heliotrop",Freiburg,Germany
8.2.2FinnforestBuildingProductsDivision
Demand for the Divisions products showed a marked increase over the year. A notable increase in private consumer
demandinFinlandmadeamarkeddifference,asinthisdivisionthedomesticmarketaccountsforamuchlargershare
of the total sales than in other business divisions. Sales volumes and prices were good for windows, doors, particle
boardandmelaminecoatedboard.
The majority of laminated veneer lumber (LVL) produced by the Kerto Business Unit was exported to the European
market.FavourableeconomicdevelopmentboostedthedemandforLVLproductstotheextentthataneedforadditional
productioncapacitybecameevident.
NetsalesoftheKertoBusinessUnittotalledFIM190.6millionin1997(FIM178.5million),withexportsrepresentinga
64% share. The focus for exports shifted from USA to central Europe, where markets are good for highlyprocessed
productswithhigherprices.SaleswerehinderedbytheinsufficientcapacityoftheKertoBusinessUnit,andasdemand
on the European market grew significantly, an important decision with farreaching results was made to raise the
productioncapacityfromthecurrent60,000cubicmetresto100,000cubicmetres.
Theunitsfinancialperformancein1997wasgood.
TheBuildingProductsDivisionsnetsalesin1997wereFIM542.7million(FIM566.9)andemployed657peopleinthe
endoftheyear1997.
Fig.8BureauBuilding,Sortimo
9.Appendix
Thisreportismainlybasedoninformationfoundinthefollowingsources:
Annualreport1997,FinnforestOy,Finland
RauteWoodProcessingMachineryLtd,Finland
Kerto,Kertopuu,differentproductinformation
PlywoodandVeneerBasedProducts,RichardF.Baldwin,1995
handout:"SpecialtypesofWoodbasedPanels",O.Liukkonen
differentInternetsites
Fig.10FrametrussinEspoo,Finland

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11/4/2017 LaminatedVeneerLumberWoodBasedPanelsTechnology

Troutnercontinued to improve the openweb product and invent additionallumberbasedproducts.Auniquefloorjoist

Product Bending Modulesof Compression Horizontal

Laminated 2,800 2,000,000 500 285

ParallelStrand 2,900 2,000,000 600/400c 290/210c

Select 1,800 1,800,000 625 95

Theillustrateddesign values clearly compare favourably with highqualitysawntimber.Whilethemodulesofelasticity

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