Products such as oriented strand board (OSB) and oriented strand lumber (OSL) have shown that utilization of low value, small diameter timber to produce structural components is commercially feasible. While three-dimensional (3-D) panels for building construction have been studied for years, recent research at Washington State University has developed strand-based 3-D core element that shows promise for a variety of panelized construction applications, such as in a building envelope. Lightweight sandwich construction with a thin-walled core provides a structural and nonstructural panel using undervalued timber from forest thinning or fast growing plantations.
Analysis of the core design was investigated to determine a process that can be utilized for engineering design of future sandwich panel cores. Small-diameter Ponderosa Pine wood-strands were utilized in fabrication of a lightweight sandwich panel that has a specific bending stiffness that is 88% stiffer than commercial OSB. A case study was performed on the wood-strand sandwich panels to determine their potential in structural flooring as an alternative for OSB. The sandwich panel can support a 40 psf live load and a 20 psf dead load without exceeding IBC (2006) deflection limits.