Structural Particleboard for Webs of Composite Beams?

The primary mechanics function of webs of composite beams is to resist shear stresses and deformation. Commercially, a composite beam’s application is often limited by the shear strength of its web. In addition, typical span-depth ratios for structural applications, e.g. floor joists, cause the designer increasing concern about the web’s large shear deflection contribution to the beam’s total deflection. The current industry standard for webbing of wood-base composite beams is plywood. A pilot test was made to directly compare the shear behavior of the same thickness of high quality structural plywood with a sheathing-grade, large-flake structural particleboard. Both materials were commercial products. In general, the shear behavior of the particleboard was superior to plywood. The in-plane shear modulus of particleboard was over 2.5 times greater than for plywood. This limited test suggests that structural particleboard has potential advantages as web material in composite beams.

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