Module 01: Engineered Wood, Wood Composites and Other Building Boards

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering Module 01 on engineered wood products, wood composites, building boards, adhesives, glulam structures, and building papers.

What is engineered wood, also known as composite wood or man-made wood?

A range of wood derivative products manufactured by binding together strands, particles, fibers, or veneers of wood together with adhesives to form composite materials engineered to precise design specifications.

What is considered the original engineered wood product?

Plywood.

What engineered wood product is shown in the image, made by bonding veneers together under heat and pressure at right angles to each other?

Plywood

How is a building board defined?

Any thin, broad, long, flat, plain, or textured sheet made of wood strips, strands, flakes, fibers, veneer, chips, cement, or other composite material used for paneling, ceiling, flooring, framing, carpentry, formwork, and other rough or finishing applications.

What are the primary advantages of engineered wood products over solid lumber?

They can be designed for application-specific requirements, manufactured from small-diameter trees or wood with defects, are stronger and less prone to humidity-induced warping, and can be custom-made in controlled sizes and thicknesses.

What are the main disadvantages of engineered wood products?

They require more primary energy to manufacture than solid lumber, can release toxic substances like formaldehyde from adhesives, and can expose workers to toxic substances during cutting and manufacturing.

What is the most common adhesive resin used in engineered wood product manufacturing?

Urea-formaldehyde ($\text{UF}$) resin.

Which adhesive resin is characterized by its yellow or brown color and is utilized for exterior-exposure wood materials?

Phenol-formaldehyde ($\text{PF}$) resin.

What are the characteristics and typical applications of Melamine-formaldehyde (MF) resin?

It is a white, heat- and water-resistant adhesive often used in exposed surface products in more costly designs.

Which engineered wood adhesive is the most expensive, generally has waterproofing ability, and does not contain formaldehyde?

Methylene diphenyl di-isocyanate ($\text{MDI}$) or polyurethane ($\text{PU}$) resin.

Under what condition is Casein Glue typically used in lamination?

In dry locations where it is not exposed directly to rain or water.

What are the properties of Resorcinol-Phenol Formaldehyde glue used in lamination?

It is expensive but possesses qualities necessary for durability and water resistance.

In wood panel construction, what is a composite panel?

A wood panel product consisting of two face veneers bonded to a reconstituted wood core.

What is a veneer?

A thin sheet of wood rotary cut, sliced, or sawn from a log or flitch, used as a superior facing to inferior wood or bonded together to form plywood.

In a plywood panel, what is the crossband?

A layer of veneer immediately adjacent to and at right angles to the face plies.

In a veneered panel, what is banding?

The solid wood stock extending around the sides of a veneered panel, concealing the core and facilitating the shaping of the panel edges.

What is Plymetal?

Plywood clad on one or both sides with sheet metal.

What are the five listed types of plywood?

1. Ordinary Plywood
2. Marine Plywood
3. Form Plywood
4. Fancy Plywood
5. Pre-finished Plywood Paneling (Danarra)

What engineered board shown here is composed of wooden strips at its core and thin veneers on both faces?

Plyboard

How does Plyboard compare to plywood in terms of density and water resistance?

Plyboard is less dense and less water-resistant than plywood.

Which engineered wood product shown here consists of multiple layers of thin wood assembled with waterproof adhesives without crossbands?

Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL)

What structural lumber product shown here is produced by bonding long, narrow wood strands together under heat and pressure using waterproof adhesive?

Parallel Strand Lumber (PSL)

What non-veneered wood panel shown here is made of rectangular-shaped wood strands arranged in 3 or 5 layers at right angles to one another?

Oriented Strandboard (OSB)

What is Waferboard?

A non-veneered panel product composed of large, thin wood flakes bonded under heat and pressure with a waterproof adhesive.

What is Particleboard (Chipboard or Low Density Fiberboard)?

A non-veneered composite wood panel product consisting of cellulosic particles made by bonding small wood particles with a synthetic resin under heat and pressure.

What is Strawboard and at what temperature is it processed?

A hardboard made of compressed wheat straw covered with a tough kraft paper, processed at $350^\circ\text{F}$ to $400^\circ\text{F}$.

What are the two grades of Strawboard and their dimensions?

1. Structural Board: $2\,\text{in.}$ thick, lengths of 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and $10\,\text{ft.}$
2. Insulation Grade: $2\,\text{in.}$ thick, $4\,\text{ft.}$ wide, and $5\,\text{ft.}$ long.

What is the density range of Fiberboard according to the lecture notes?

Less than $490\,\text{kg/m}^3$ but not more than $159\,\text{kg/m}^3$.

What are the two grades of Insulating Fiberboard?

1. Insulating Grade (used for decorative panels, ceiling tiles, and roof insulation)
2. Sheathing Grade (both surfaces and all edges coated or impregnated with asphalt).

What is Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)?

A composite panel product generally consisting of cellulosic fibers mixed with a synthetic resin or alternative bonding element and joined together under heat and pressure.

What is Hardboard and what is its minimum density?

A very dense, felted, homogeneous panel made from lignocellulosic fibers consolidated under heat and pressure in a hot press to a density of not less than $490\,\text{kg/m}^3$.

What are the three grades of Hardboard?

1. Standard Hardboard
2. Tempered Hardboard
3. Low Density Hardboard

How is Tempered Hardboard manufactured?

By impregnating standard hardboard with tempering compounds of oils and resin and baking it to polymerize the tempering material.

What is Fiber Cement Board (Ficemboard)?

A lightweight, versatile, and durable board made of fibers (timber slurry), Portland cement, quartz sand, and additives, used for interior and exterior ceilings, partitions, and sidings.

What is Gypsum Board (Plasterboard)?

A wallboard made typically of a layer of gypsum plaster pressed between two thick sheets of paper and kiln dried, used in drywall construction.

What is Gypsum Lath?

A gypsum board with a gypsum core and heavy paper on both sides, used as a base to provide adhesion for plaster.

What non-structural building board shown here is used in low-cost housing for sound absorption and heat insulation, but NOT as a fire retardant?

Wood Wool Cement Board

What are the fire and thermal characteristics of Asbestos Cement Board?

It possesses high resistance to fire, flame, and weathering, but has low resistance to heat flow.

What is Corkboard?

A rigid board made from cork granules mixed with synthetic resin, compressed into sheets from $1$ to $6\,\text{in.}$ thick, and baked under pressure.

What trademarked perforated board shown in the image is made of tempered hardboard and used with hooks for display or storage?

Peg Board (Perforated Board)

What structural timber product shown here is composed of several layers of dimensioned lumber glued together with parallel grain?

Glued Laminated Timber (Glulam)

Who first used glued laminated timber in Germany in 1890, and who brought the technology to North America in 1934?

Otto Hetzer first used it in Germany; Max Hanisch, Sr. brought the technology to North America by establishing a firm in Peshtigo, Wisconsin.

What are Glued Built-up Members?

Structural members composed of built-up lumber, plywood, or engineered wood in combination with lumber, with all parts bonded together using adhesives.

What connector shown in the image is used in the Gang Nail System™ to secure truss chord and web intersections?

Spiked or toothed metal connector plate

What is the weight specification for Asphalt Impregnated or Coated Felt/Kraft Paper used as sheathing paper?

Densities ranging from $4$ to $10\,\text{lbs/ft}^2$.

What are the weight and width specifications of Roofing Felt compared to Rolled Roofing?

Roofing Felt is $36\,\text{in.}$ wide and weighs $3$ to $20\,\text{lbs/ft}^2$, whereas Rolled Roofing is 18 and $36\,\text{in.}$ wide with weights ranging from $45$ to $120\,\text{lbs/ft}^2$.

What are the two types of Insulating Paper described in the notes?

1. Wood Fiber Insulating Paper (made from ground wood or bagasse, weighs approximately $9\,\text{lbs/ft}^2$)
2. Asbestos Fibers (soft, pliable paper weighing $5$ to $10\,\text{lbs/ft}^2$ for high-temperature insulation, or $15\,\text{lbs/ft}^2$ for built-up roofing).

What are the three materials listed under Vapor Barrier Paper?

1. Wax Paper
2. Laminated Paper
3. Kraft Paper

What are the two forms of Concrete Form Paper mentioned in the lecture?

1. Spiral Tube Concrete Form (made from kraft paper)
2. Boxlike Form (made from corrugated container paper).