Study on long term creep of two different types of compressed wood sheets used in library shelves

In this study, the creep behaviors of composite panels used in library shelves were investigated. For this purpose, two types of wood-composite panels (medium density fiberboard and particleboard), and three types of covering including synthetic laminates, natural veneer, and without cove, and two types of wood joints (fixed and detachable) were used. Dimensions of the book-shelves were in actual shelf size, that is, 1,000 × 300 mm. Totally, 48 shelf specimens were prepared. For the creep test, a 23.5 kg loading level was applied in the center part of the shelves. Measurements on the creep behavior were carried out over 155 days at different intervals. Results indicated that the type of wood-composite as well as the type of veneer had statistically significant effect on the creep behaviors of panels. The lowest creep was observed in MDF panels. Moreover, those panels covered with natural veneer demonstrated significantly lower creep values. The type of joint also had a significant effect on the creeping behavior of the shelves, though not as conspicuous as the type of panels and veneers. Based on the results of the present research project, it is suggested that in order to increase the service life of library shelves it would be better to produce the shelves from MDF panels covered with natural veneers; these shelves should be fixed on supports.