Ultimate Failure Load and Stiffness of Screw Jointed Furniture Cabinets Constructed of Particleboard and Medium-Density Fiberboard

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of material type, screw diameter, and screw length on ultimate failure load and stiffness of four-sided furniture cabinets. In total, 81 four-sided test cabinets were constructed in 1/1 dimensions. Assembly of cabinets was done using nine different sizes of screws ranging from 3.5 by 40 mm to 5 by 50 mm. Panel materials were 18-mm-thick particleboard (PB) and 16- and 18-mm-thick medium-density fiberboard (MDF1, MDF2). Cabinets were anchored at two points located underneath the top panel and tested under static load. Loading procedures of the American National Standards Institute/Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association were followed during the static tests. Test results showed that 18- and 16-mm MDF cabinets yielded higher failure loads and stiffness values compared with the 18-mm PB cabinets. Test results also indicated that increasing either screw diameter or screw length tended to have a positive effect on the failure load and stiffness values. The strongest and most rigid four-sided cabinets were obtained with 4-mm-diameter and 50-mm-long screws if the construction panel material was 18-mm-thick MDF, 5-mm-diameter and 45-mm-long screws if the construction panel material was 16-mm-thick MDF, and 5-mm-diameter and 50-mm-long screws if the construction panel material was 18-mm-thick PB.