Tests for outdoor window profiles: 90° mortise tenon corner joints strength assessment

The research focuses on the assessment of the performances of glued laminated wood corner joints for outdoor window profiles applications, proposing a methodology to appreciate the strength of 90° tenon mortise corner joints. The rationale relies on the potential damage (i.e. breaking of the frame) that can be caused by poor glueing processes and/or typology of adhesives. There is a number of standards for assessment of wood-adhesive bonds for outdoor windows; however, there is a lack of specific standards related to glueing assessment for outdoor wood frames, which can take into account all the factors influencing the glueing quality. The proposed methodology was tested on red oak window profiles. A commercially available polyvinyl acetate-based adhesive was used for corner joints. Bending strength of 90° tenon mortise corner joints was measured and compared with maximum admissible loads on the frame to limit its deformations within admissible ranges. The test results show that the 90° tenon mortise corner joints strength exceeds the admissible load to preserve the functionality of the frame. In order to appreciate the influence of conditioning processes on adhesion, shear strength tests of the flatwise glued joint samples (bond lines of lamellae) were carried out after different conditioning processes