Preparation, physical, mechanical, and interfacial morphological properties of engineered bamboo scrimber

The engineered bamboo scrimbers were prepared by impregnating bamboo bundles with phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin. The effects of resin contents and densities on the physico-mechanical properties were studied. With increasing resin contents and densities, most properties increased. The thickness and width swelling were affected by resin contents more than densities, while water absorption and mechanical strengths was affected more by densities. After impregnating with PF, the cell lumens were filled up. During hot-pressing, the bamboo cells were densified and glue nails formed. The optimal parameter of this study was 1.30 g/cm3 and 16% PF treatment, which was prospective for the structural materials.