Innovations in Timber Engineering

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Wood Science and Forest Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 268

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Technology and Entrepreneurship in Wood Industry, Institute of Wood Sciences and Furniture, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW, 159 Nowoursynowska St., 02–776 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: repair engineering; wood-based composites; design; building structures

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Guest Editor
Department of Technology and Entrepreneurship in Wood Industry, Institute of Wood Sciences and Furniture, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW, 159 Nowoursynowska St., 02–776 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: wood technology; wood-based panels; wood plastic composites; biocomposites; wood modification
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Guest Editor
Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
Interests: timber joints; timber structures; durability
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Timber, as one of the oldest construction materials used by humanity, continues to evolve in the face of modern engineering demands and environmental challenges. With its renewable origin, favorable strength-to-weight ratio, esthetic qualities, and adaptability to various processing methods, timber remains an essential material in architecture, structural design, and manufacturing. However, like all natural materials, it possesses certain limitations, such as variable dimensional stability, susceptibility to moisture and biological degradation, and limited fire resistance.

Recent innovations in timber engineering, including advanced composite systems, novel reinforcement techniques, surface modifications, and the integration of digital design and manufacturing technologies, have significantly enhanced the performance and expanded the applications of timber. These developments aim to improve structural integrity, durability, and sustainability, thus supporting the global shift toward low-carbon construction solutions.

This Special Issue offers a platform for researchers, engineers, and industry professionals to present their latest findings, share innovative methods, and discuss arising challenges in timber engineering. Contributions on topics such as engineered wood products, fiber-reinforced timber, bio-based adhesives, structural health monitoring, and life-cycle assessment are particularly encouraged.

Dr. Izabela Burawska
Prof. Dr. Piotr Borysiuk
Dr. Kei Sawata
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • timber engineering
  • engineered wood products
  • fiber-reinforced timber
  • sustainable construction
  • bio-based adhesives
  • digital fabrication
  • life-cycle assessment
  • low-carbon materials

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 1297 KB  
Article
Effect of Carbon Fiber Content on the Mechanical Performance of Particleboards
by Izabela Burawska, Piotr Borysiuk and Michał Budek
Forests 2025, 16(12), 1862; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16121862 - 16 Dec 2025
Viewed by 158
Abstract
Conventional particleboards often exhibit limited mechanical strength, which restricts their use in load-bearing and high-performance applications; reinforcing these boards with carbon fibers offers a potential solution to overcome these limitations. This study investigated the effect of carbon fiber (CF) content on the mechanical [...] Read more.
Conventional particleboards often exhibit limited mechanical strength, which restricts their use in load-bearing and high-performance applications; reinforcing these boards with carbon fibers offers a potential solution to overcome these limitations. This study investigated the effect of carbon fiber (CF) content on the mechanical performance of single-layer particleboards bonded with polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (pMDI) adhesive. Carbon fibers were examined as a reinforcement to improve the mechanical properties of particleboards. Experimental boards were produced with 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% CF (based on the oven-dry mass of wood particles). The analysis included density profile distribution, modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE), and screw withdrawal resistance (SWR). The results showed that mechanical performance improved only at lower CF contents. The most pronounced effect was observed at 10% CF, where MOR increased from 15.2 MPa (control) to 19.2 MPa, and MOE increased from 2.45 GPa to 2.91 GPa. Higher CF additions (≥20%) did not yield further improvements, and at elevated levels (≥30%), bending performance decreased (MOR dropped to 14.1–13.5 MPa) due to poor fiber dispersion and weakened interfacial bonding between fibers and wood particles. Screw withdrawal resistance increased gradually with CF content, from 156 N in the control boards to 182 N at 50% CF, although the improvement was limited by adhesion quality and mat heterogeneity. Overall, the study demonstrates that small CF additions can enhance selected mechanical properties of particleboards, whereas higher loadings negatively affect performance due to microstructural incompatibilities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in Timber Engineering)
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