Water absorption and thickness swelling of plywood overlaid with fiberglass prepreg

Abstract

Water absorption and thickness swelling of experimental eleven-layered beech plywood overlaid with fiberglass prepreg were studied in this research. These properties were tested during exposure to water continuously for period of 192 days. The veneers used in plywood structure had thickness of 1.5 mm and 1.85 mm. The fiberglass prepreg was made form fiberglass fabric that was pre-impregnated with methyl alcohol soluble phenol-formaldehyde resin. The same resin was used for veneer bonding. The test results showed that application of fiberglass prepreg as surface layers lead to decreasing of water absorption and thickness swelling of plywood. After 192 days immersion in water, plywood model has good dimensional stability and does not show deformations.