| The importance of wood-based composite lumber is increasing in the US market for construction materials. Manufacturers of such composites strive to make their products more competitive by increasing their value. This dissertation describes the development of simulation models that can aid these efforts by estimating the elastic characteristics of composite lumber products. The study included the assessment of the orthotropic mechanical properties of the raw material, the effect of densification it experiences during the hot-pressing procedure, and the geometric structure of the composites. Using the results of these investigations, computer models were created based on principles of deterministic and stochastic simulations. Generated elastic parameters were validated against experimentally measured MOE values. Reasonably good agreement between the simulated and actual elastic constants confirmed the usefulness of the developed models. The simulations can be used to explore the characteristics of composite beams with innovative designs or containing new raw materials before they enter the prototype phase of their development. |
