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Virginia Tech

Fundamental Analysis of Wood Adhesion Primers

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Hydroxymethyl resorcinol (HMR) is an effective adhesion promoter (primer) for wood bonding; it dramatically improves adhesion and enhances bond durability against moisture exposure. In an effort to improve understanding of the HMR mechanism of action, this work compared HMR with two other chemical treatments investigated as wood primers: alkyl-HMR (a-HMR), an HMR variant having reduced crosslink density, and a 5% solution of polymeric methylenebis(phenylisocyanate) in N-methylpyrrolidone (solution referred to as "pMDI"). The experimental system was red oak (Quercus rubra) bonded with a moisture-cure polyurethane adhesive (PUR). The objective was to document wood rheological changes induced by the three primers, and determine if these changes correlated to primer efficacy in PUR-bonded red oak. Adhesion was tested in mode-I (opening) fracture using dual cantilever beam specimens. HMR and a-HMR proved to be highly effective primers for PUR-bonded red oak; both primers dramatically improved bondline toughness and durability. Relative to HMR, the reduced crosslink density in a-HMR did not impair primer efficacy. In contrast, the pMDI primer was ineffective; it reduced bondline toughness and durability. Solvent-submersion, torsional dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) was conducted on primer-treated red oak (with specimens immersed in dimethylformamide). Using all three grain orientations, the lignin glass/rubber transition was carefully studied with attention directed towards primer-induced changes in stiffness (storage modulus), the glass transition temperature (Tg), the associated damping (tan ° maximum intensity), and the breadth of tan ° transition. It was found that primer effectiveness correlated with a reduction in damping intensity, and also with a Tg increase greater than 5°C. Determination of these correlations was complicated by grain dependency, and also by rheological changes caused by solvent treatments that were used as primer control treatments.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Wood Science and Forest Products
Department dc:contributor.department
Wood Science and Forest Products
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2010

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Hosen, Joshua Carter
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Frazier, Charles E.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Renneckar, Scott H.
  • Edgar, Kevin J.

Subjects

dc:subject × 5

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright
Language dc:language.iso
en_US

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-09212010-145221
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/76869

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Hosen, Joshua Carter. Fundamental Analysis of Wood Adhesion Primers. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/76869