ISO 6237:2017 PDF

Overview

ISO 6237:2017 - Adhesives - Wood-to-wood adhesive bonds - Determination of shear strength by tensile loading specifies a laboratory method to determine the shear strength of wood-to-wood adhesive bonds using standard tensile-loaded specimens. The third edition (2017) covers specimen preparation, conditioning, testing apparatus, test procedure, result expression and reporting. It is intended for adhesives bonding wood-to-wood in parallel-laminated or cross-laminated constructions and is not intended for testing finished manufactured products.

Key Topics and Requirements

• Scope and purpose: Measures shear strength of adhesive bonds with a standard specimen under defined preparation, conditioning and test conditions.
• Specimen types: Two-ply (grain parallel to long axis) and three-ply/cross-laminated constructions (face plies parallel; center ply perpendicular). Dimensions and notch details are specified.
• Apparatus:
  • Mixing, spreading and pressing equipment with specified tolerances (e.g., adhesive mix balance ±1 %, spread uniformity ±5 %).
  • Test machine capable of ≥5 kN tensile force, accuracy ±2 %, and controlled loading rate.
  • Measuring devices: analytical balance, calipers to 0.05 mm.
• Loading and speed: Force applied as a uniformly increasing rate of 2.5 kN/min to 6 kN/min or crosshead speed of 0.5–1.0 mm/min (unless otherwise agreed).
• Conditioning: Panels conditioned at (23 ± 2) °C and (50 ± 5) % RH for 7 days or until constant mass.
• Wood failure assessment: Estimate percentage wood failure using oblique lighting (10°–15°) and report to nearest 10 %.
• Results and statistics: Record force (kN) or stress (kPa) at break; calculate mean and standard deviation per panel and overall.
• Test report requirements: Comprehensive reporting including adhesive ID, timber species and moisture, specimen type/dimensions, conditioning, test speed, number of specimens, individual results, means and standard deviations, and any procedural modifications.
• Annexes: Annex A lists information manufacturers should provide (moisture, spread rate, pressing conditions); Annex B addresses timber species, thickness, surfaces, quality and moisture content.

Applications and Users

Who uses ISO 6237:2017:

• Adhesive manufacturers - product development and quality control.
• Timber and panel producers - comparative evaluation of bonding performance for plywood, laminated timber and other wood assemblies.
• Independent test laboratories - standardized bond strength testing and certification.
• R&D teams and QA/QC departments - validating formulations, process conditions and supplier verification.

Practical uses:

• Benchmarking adhesive bond performance.
• Establishing process parameters (spread rate, press conditions, conditioning).
• Supporting product specifications and technical datasheets.

Related Standards

• ISO 472 - Plastics - Vocabulary (terms and definitions referenced by ISO 6237)
• ISO/IEC Directives referenced for editorial and standards development practices

Keywords: ISO 6237:2017, wood-to-wood adhesive bonds, shear strength, tensile loading, adhesive testing, bond strength, specimen preparation, conditioning, test report.