Glued Laminated Timber Pressing Plastic Deformation

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing methods for producing glued laminated timber are complex and generate significant wood waste due to the need for precise planing of boards before assembly.

Innovation Solution

A method involving the application of a high pressing force to individual boards, causing plastic deformation and compensating for thickness and shape deviations, allowing for gap-free connections without initial planing, and a manufacturing system with a pressing device and transport module for efficient stacking and pressing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If boards are planed on base and top surfaces before stacking, then gap-free stacking is achieved, but wood waste increases and process complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestacking precisionVSAvoidwood waste
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The invention performs planing after stacking rather than before, reversing the traditional sequence. Boards are stacked first with their natural thickness variations, then the entire stack is planed together to achieve the final uniform thickness. This preliminary stacking followed by collective planing eliminates the need to plane each board individually beforehand, reducing wood waste while maintaining stacking precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Multiple boards are stacked together to form a stack, and then the planing operation is applied to the entire stack simultaneously rather than to individual boards. This merging of boards into a single stack allows the planing tool to process all boards together, achieving uniform thickness across all boards while minimizing material removal and waste.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Manufacturing precision

If boards are planed on base and top surfaces before stacking, then uniform thickness is achieved, but production time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvethickness uniformityVSAvoidproduction efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention combines multiple boards into a single stack and applies the planing operation to the entire stack simultaneously. This merging approach reduces the total number of planing operations from one per board to one per stack, significantly reducing production time while still achieving uniform thickness across all boards in the stack.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The stacking operation is performed before the planing operation, reversing the traditional sequence. By stacking boards first with their natural thickness variations and then planing the entire stack together, the process eliminates the time-consuming individual planing steps while maintaining final thickness uniformity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Manufacturing precision

If high pressing force is applied to deform boards, then gap-free connection is achieved without initial planing, but pressing force requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnection qualityVSAvoidpressing force
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the pressing force parameter to exceed the compressive strength of wood locally, enabling plastic deformation of the boards. By applying sufficiently high pressing force during the gluing process, the boards deform plastically to fill gaps and achieve intimate contact, eliminating the need for preliminary planing while ensuring high-quality gap-free connections.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach reduces wood waste, shortens the production process, and increases efficiency by eliminating the need for initial planing, while achieving a uniform and strengthened glued laminated timber product.

Implementation Method 1

the pressing force is chosen to be large enough that at least some boards lying in a board layer are plastically deformed in order to achieve a largely gap-free connection between the base and top surfaces of individual boards between different board layers

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPlastic deformation: Plasticity

Implementation Method 2

The plastic deformation of the boards can be achieved by fracturing the wood fibers through locally exceeding the compressive strength of wood

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFracture mechanics: Fracture Mechanics

Implementation Method 3

applying an adhesive, in particular wood glue, to the individual boards in a gluing station

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAdhesion: Adhesive

Data Source

PatentEP3208060B1Method and device for manufacturing glued laminated timber
Publication Date: 2021.11.10 FILL GMBH
  • EP3208060B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3208060B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3208060B1 patent drawingFigure 4~7

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for producing laminated timber which comprises the following process steps: - providing individual boards (2); - applying an adhesive (3), in particular wood glue, to the individual boards (2); - stacking the individual boards (2) into a stack (1) with several board levels (5); - pressing the boards (2) stacked into the stack (1) to form laminated timber (4) by means of a pressing device (28) by applying a pressing force (9), wherein the base surface (7) of the boards (2) of a board level (5) is pressed against the top surface (6) of the boards (2) of a board level (5) below, wherein the pressing force (9) is selected to be large enough that at least individual boards (2) lying in a board level (5) are plastically deformed in order to achieve a largely gap-free connection of the base surfaces (7) and top surfaces (6) of individual boards (2) between different board levels (5).The invention also relates to a production plant (24) for manufacturing glued laminated timber (4), the production plant (24) comprising: a stacking station (25) for stacking individual boards (2) fed to the production plant (24); a feeding device (26) for manipulating and feeding the individual boards (2) to the stacking station (25); a gluing station (27) for applying an adhesive (3) to the individual boards (2); a pressing device (28) for pressing the individual boards (2) stacked into a stack (1), wherein the pressing device (28) has several press dies (8) by means of which a pressing force (9) acting substantially normally on the individual board levels (5) can be applied.