Bending Moment Capacities of Case Furniture Corner Joints Fabricated From Polyvnil Cloride (Pvc) Panels as an Alternative Materials

Abstract

In this study, bending moment capacities of L- type corner joints farbricated from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) panels that are commonly produced and used and expected to be an alternative material for case (panel) furniture manufacturing were analyzed under the test loads and compared to the conventional wood based panels. Corner joints were connected with various techniques that encountered in case type furniture. For this purpose, in preparing the specimens, 3 different density and qualities of PVC (PVC1, PVC2, PVC3) and some wood based panels namely particleboard (YL), medium density fiberboard (MDF), particleboard and medium density fiberboard surfaced with synthetic resin sheet (YLLAM, MDFLAM) and two different quality of oriented strand board (OSB1, OSB2) also were utilized and tested under the same conditions. Specimens were tested under static diagonal tension and compression loads which the joint can be imposed upon them in service. A total of 180 specimens (9x2x2x5=180) were prepared and tested including 9 material types (6 composite woods, 3 different density of PVC), 2 joint types (screwed, minifixed), 2 loading types (diagonal tension, diagonal compression), and 5 replications for each. Furthermore, the relations between the technical and economical effects were investigated by making cost performance analysis. At the end of the tests, it was concluded PVC panels could be utilized from technical point of view in the places that are not overstressed and especially in the wet spaces for case furniture manufacturing, however, the use of PVC is not economically suitable with compare to wood base composite materials.