Characteristics of creosote-treated LVL materials

Red maple and yellow-poplar logs were rotary peeled into nominal 1/6-inch veneer at a southern pine plywood plant. The veneer was laminated in a continuous hot-press with phenol-formaldehyde adhesive at a commercial laminating facility. The 24-ply laminated veneer lumber (LVL) was 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. The 4 by 8 and center billet specimens were pressure treated with creosote using the empty-cell process. Southern pine LVL specimens and solid sawn yellow-poplar lumber of nominal 4 by 8 dimension were also treated for comparative purposes. Treated and untreated LVL specimens were tested to determine flexural properties and shear strength. Toluene extraction assay (AWPA A6) results indicate that uniform treatments with good penetration are possible for each of the LVL materials. Preservative treatment characteristics of yellow-poplar appear to be enhanced as a result of the LVL manufacturing process. Specimen measurements before and after preservative treatment indicated minimal dimensional swell. Flexural properties and shear strength differences for the treated compared to the control specimens were found in most cases to be not statistically different.

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