Mechanical and morphological bond line properties of silver birch wood pretreated by aqueous extraction

While bonding for structural applications in Europe was limited to only a few softwood species in the past, forest alterations toward more climate stability will increase the diversity of tree species. This requires an understanding of typal wood-adhesive interactions. To help facilitate birch wood bonding, its cold-water soluble extractives and their effects on mechanical performance and bond line morphology were studied using water-borne melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF) and hydrophobic solvent-free polyurethane (PUR) adhesives. Extractives classes were identified via mass spectrometry and their concentration and extraction kinetics were evaluated. The analysis revealed that the mechanical properties of the bond line were essentially unaffected by extraction when using the hydrophobic PUR adhesive. Increased degrees of extraction resulted in reduced MUF penetration, and slightly thicker bond lines, however, the mechanical results indicate improved performance, indicating fewer defects in the cured adhesive network.