Adhesive bonding of beech wood modified with a phenol formaldehyde compound

Untreated (controls) and phenol-formaldehyde (PF)-modified beech wood (10 and 25 % solid content) were glued with phenol resorcinol formaldehyde (PRF) and polyvinyl acetate (PVAc). Shear strength of PRF-bonded specimens was higher than that of PVAc-bonded ones under dry and wet conditions irrespective of the pre-treatment. Under dry conditions, only PVAc-bonded specimens exhibited reduction in shear strength due to PF-modification with 25 % PF concentration as compared to the controls. PF treated wood provided inferior bonding under wet conditions with the exception of 25 % PF concentration specimens glued with PRF adhesive. Modification with PF resulted in a decrease of adhesive penetration into the porous network of interconnected cells, especially at 25 % PF concentration.