Elastic constants of veneer in beech plywood

The paper presents the results of the study concerning elastic properties of beech veneers assembled in plywood panels. There has been derived a complete set of elastic constants for veneers considered as orthotropic bodies. Young’s moduli in the grain direction and in the direction perpendicular to the grain were determined by bending plywood strips with their longitudinal axis parallel and perpendicular to the grain of the face plies. The other elastic moduli of the veneers were calculated through the Young’s modulus in the grain direction, with using the regression functions derived for hardwoods by Bodig and Goodman (1973). The effect of glue lines in plywood on the veneer elastic properties was evaluated.