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Composite wood materials, also known as engineered wood products, are fabricated from wood veneer, particles, strands, flakes, or fibers that are bonded together with synthetic or renewable, biobased adhesive systems and designed to meet a wide range of structural and non-structural applications [[1], [3]]. However, one of the major drawbacks of wood and wood-based composites is their high flammability [[30]], which has restricted their use as construction and building materials. Handbook of Wood Chemistry and Wood Composites; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, USA. [Extracted from the article]

Semantan (Gigantochloa scortechinii) and beting (Gigantochloa levis) bamboo are the two Malaysian bamboo that are suitable to be converted into laminated bamboo boards. One of the main criteria for laminated board is its good bondability, which is determined by shear performance. The shear performance of laminated board is influenced by several factors such as the species used, adhesive types and lamination configurations. Therefore, in this study, laminated bamboo boards were produced using Semantan and Beting bamboo bonded with phenol–resorcinol–formaldehyde (PRF) and polyurethane (PUR) adhesives. Different configurations (lay-up patterns and strip arrangements) were used during the consolidation of the laminated boards. The bamboo strips were arranged in three different arrangements, namely vertical, horizontal and mixed, and then assembled into a three-layered structure with two lay-up patterns, which are perpendicular and parallel. Shear performances, such as shear strength, bamboo failure and delamination of the boards, were evaluated. The results revealed that the adhesive type and lay-up pattern were the most influential factors on the shear performance. PRF-bonded laminated bamboo boards outperformed PUR-bonded laminated bamboo boards in terms of shear strength and bamboo failure but PUR bonding had better bond durability as indicated by its low delamination. Boards laminated parallelly significantly outperformed those bonded perpendicularly. As for strip arrangement, PRF-bonded laminated boards were less influenced by it compared to PUR-bonded laminated boards. The results suggested that PRF is a better adhesive for bamboo lamination due to its higher shear performance and more consistent performance across structural configurations (lay-up patterns and strip arrangements). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bamboo requires treatment to extend its service life. However, as bamboo strips could serve as a suitable candidate for lamination, the treatment may affect its bendability. The current study investigated the effects of boric acid treatment on the physical, mechanical, adhesion, and morphological properties of bamboo strips. Owing to their availability and popularity in local industries, four Malaysian bamboo species were used in this study, namely Gigantochloa scortechinii, Gigantochloa levis, Dendrocalamus asper, and Bambusa vulgaris. These four species' bamboo strips were treated with 5% boric acid and their properties were evaluated. The findings revealed that the boric acid treatment had varying degrees of effect on the properties of the bamboo. Despite having lower treatability and stability, both G. scortechinii and G. levis have greatly superior mechanical properties that justify their use in the production of laminated products. The boric acid treatment was found to provide several benefits to bamboo strips intended for lamination, including increased wettability, dimensional stability, and mechanical strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bamboo is suitable to be a material for the production of new products that can be used indoors and outdoors. Five-, seven- and nine-ply laminated woven bamboo mat boards from semantan bamboo, Gigantochloa scortechinii, were fabricated in this study. G. scortechinii has been used commercially in a structural application and is easily available in Malaysia. The present work investigated the physico-mechanical properties and flammability of the laminated bamboo mat boards as a function of the number of ply. Phenol-formaldehyde resin was used as a binder. The panels' density, physical, mechanical properties, formaldehyde emission and flammability were evaluated. As the number of ply increased, the density of the laminated boards decreased. Similarly, the highest modulus of elasticity was found in 5-ply laminated boards. However, the lowest modulus of rupture was also measured in 5-ply laminated boards. Regarding shear strength, 5-ply and 7-ply laminated boards outperformed 9-ply laminated boards. Meanwhile, 7-ply laminated boards exhibited the highest dimensional stability, as evidenced by the lowest water absorption and thickness swelling. In terms of flammability, all composites are classified as V-0 because the burning stops within 10 s and no flaming drips are observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]