Plywood is a material manufactured from thin layers or “plies” of wood veneer that are glued together with adjacent layers having their wood grain rotated up to 90 degrees to one another. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured boards which include medium-density fibreboard (MDF), oriented strand board (OSB) and particle board (chipboard).

A typical plywood panel has face veneers of a higher grade than the core veneers. The principal function of the core layers is to increase the separation between the outer layers where the bending stresses are highest, thus increasing the panel’s resistance to bending. As a result, thicker panels can span greater distances under the same loads. In bending, the maximum stress occurs in the outermost layers, one in tension, the other in compression. Bending stress decreases from the maximum at the face layers to nearly zero at the central layer. Shear stress, by contrast, is higher in the center of the panel, and at the outer fibres.

Aircraft ply

What is aircraft plywood?

The plywood veneer face plies and inner plies are free from open defects and bonded with heat set phenolic water and fire proof adhesive. … Plywood inner plies typically used are birch veneers.

Where is aircraft plywood used?

Aircraft plywood is suitable for all types of models, including use in architectural models, model boats and aircraft. Aircraft plywood can also be used in the making of musical instruments and detailed curved joinery.

Why is plywood commonly used in aircraft construction?

Plywood does have certain advantages over solid wood when used in aircraft construction. As compared with solid wood, one of the major advantages of plywood is the presence of more equal strength properties along the length and width of a specific panel.