ABSTRACT
Brazil is a major producer of plywood, where pine forests are the most used in this process, and much of this production is aimed at the furniture industry. Many species have been introduced in the country for this and other purposes, including the Melia azedarach, which still requires many technological studies for the best use of its wood. In this context, the objective of this research was to evaluate the feasibility of use of Melia azedarach for the production of plywood and the effect of the weight of adhesive and pressing time on the properties of the panels. 5 trees from an experimental planting located in Corupá, SC, were used, from which samples were collected for the determination of the density (COPANT 461/1972) and chemical properties (TAPPI 204:1997; 207: 1999; 280: 1999; 212:2002; 252:2002), and for obtaining the veneers. The panels were produced with dimensions of 500mm x 500mm x 10mm (5 veneers) according to a randomized block design in a factorial arrangement (3x2) with 3 weights (320 g/m2, 360 g/m2and 400 g/m2) and 2 pressing times (8 and 10 minutes), urea-formaldehyde adhesive, specific pressure of 1 MPa and temperature of 110 °C. The properties of the panels were evaluated from the static bending (EN: 310:2002) and resistance of the glue line to shearing (EN 314-1:2004 and EN 314-2:2002). The results indicated statistically significant difference between main effects: weight and pressing time only for the modulus of elasticity in the perpendicular direction, and the lack of significant differences between the means from the interaction of these two response variables. It was concluded that the species is technically feasible for the production of plywood, being able to maximize productivity and minimize production costs by the use of adhesive lighter weight and shorter pressing time.
Keywords:
Cinamomo; Wood panels; Furniture industry