Abstract

Cases are one of the most important types of furniture produced, yet relatively little research has been done on the case rigidity. In this study, types of the fastener properties to overall case rigidity were investigated along with the effect of material type and thickness on stiffness. A total of sixteen cases were constructed and tested. Results indicated that panel thickness and material type significantly increased structural stiffness of case type furniture. The results of experiments showed that the stiffness of case furniture could be increased by increasing the material thickness from 16 to 18 mm. Medium density fiberboard (MDF) cases, in both doweled and screwed ones, were stiffer than particleboard cases. Results indicated that the stiffness of case furniture could be increased by increasing the stiffness of corner joints, e.g. by using screw with glue instead of using only screw or applying glue to the dowels and whole edges instead of dowels only. Case furniture designs using screws with glue resulted in higher case stiffness than similar designs using glued dowel joints. In general, the stiffer the end connection, the less the deflection of the case was observed. The results also indicated that rigidity of case furniture comes mainly from the gluing of the joining surfaces. Therefore, knowing the rigidity of the case furniture made of wood composites is fundamental to the design of safe, cost efficient and aesthetic design.

Key words: Furniture, case furniture, dowel joint, screw joint.