CHARACTERISTICS OF CREOSOTE-TREATED LVL MATERIALS

Red maple and yellow-poplar logs were rotary peeled into nominal 1/6-i nch veneer at a southern pine plywood plant. The veneer was laminated in a continuous hot-press with phenol-formaldehyde adhesive at a comme rcial laminating facility. The 24-ply laminated veneer lumber (LVL) wa s 3.5 inches thick, and nominal 4 by 8's were ripped from each side of the continuous section leaving an 18.5-inch-wide center section. Long sections were subsequently cut into 8-foot billet-length specimens. T he 4 by 8 and center billet specimens were pressure treated with creos ote using the empty-cell process. Southern pine LVL specimens and soli d sawn yellow-poplar lumber of nominal 4 by 8 dimension were also trea ted for comparative purposes. Treated and untreated LVL specimens were tested to determine flexural properties and shear strength. Toluene e xtraction assay (AWPA A6) results indicate that uniform treatments wit h good penetration are possible for each of the LVL materials. Preserv ative treatment characteristics of yellow-poplar appear to be enhanced as a result of the LVL manufacturing process. Specimen measurements b efore and after preservative treatment indicated minimal dimensional s well. Flexural properties and shear strength differences for the treat ed compared to the control specimens were found in most cases to be no t statistically different.