Analysis of the Penetration of Adhesives at Finger-Joints in Beech Wood

The penetration of different adhesives on finger joints in hard wood for the production of glued laminated timber as a structural material has been investigated. Finger joints are the key element for longitudinal assembling of the lamellas as known for softwood glulam. For reliable strengths of finger joints, the penetration and the distribution of the adhesive is an important parameter, because the anatomical structure of hard wood is different to the ones of soft wood. First results show that the production parameters, like the application method of the adhesives, the open and closed time, the pressure as well as pressing time influence the penetration of the adhesives and the achievable strength of the finger joints.