Design and construction of school work tables for developing countries

Abstract

Cyclic tests were conducted to determine the strength and durability of two types of school work tables designed for use in developing countries which were constructed with round mortise and tenon joints. The frames were constructed largely of material that is often discarded as waste, such as sawmill edgings or discarded building materials or from material cut from the stems of small-diameter plantation thinnings. The tops were constructed of medium density fiberboard. Initial frame designs were first analyzed under the action of representative static service loads to determine the forces and moments acting on the joints, and the joints and members were then designed accordingly. The resulting frames were then subjected to cyclic front-to-back loads and cyclic side-thrust loads to determine their resistance to representative repeated in-service loading. Results indicated that the tables could be classified as medium duty when compared to tables used in university libraries.