# Comparative Study on Strengths of Ready-to-Assemble and Eccentric Furniture Joint

## TL;DR

This study compares the strength of different furniture joints under compression and tension, finding that some eccentric joints outperform ready-to-assemble plastic joints significantly.

## Contribution

The study introduces a comparative analysis of RTA and eccentric joints, revealing significant performance differences in bending moment capacity.

## Key findings

- Eccentric joints with metal-capped bolts and Euro screws outperformed other joints in bending moment capacity under compression by 147%.
- Lamello© and Clamex P-14 joints showed 213% lower bending moment capacity under compression compared to the best eccentric joint.
- Tenso P-14 joints performed the worst in both compression and tension tests.

## Abstract

This study compared two groups of furniture joints, i.e., a so-called ready-to-assemble (RTA) plastic biscuit joint from Lamello©, while the second group consists of four types of eccentric joints with beech dowels. L-shaped specimens were prepared with the help of the selected joints and a three-layer particleboard with dimensions of 150 × 150 × 400 mm. These L-shaped specimens were tested for bending moment capacity under compression and under tension. Cam joints with wooden dowels can withstand high stress. If Lamello© Bisco P-15 joints are added to the plastic Clamex P-14 joint, this joint will achieve 13% higher values for bending moment capacity under compression and 22% under tension. During testing, the worst result was achieved by the Tenso P-14 joint. The best values achieved during the testing of bending moment capacity under compression and under tension were for an eccentric joint with the use of a metal-capped bolt and Euro screw. This joint achieved 147% higher values for bending moment capacity under compression than a standard eccentric joint with a euro screw bolt and 213% higher values for bending moment capacity under compression than the Lamello© and Clamex P-14 joints. This study aimed to determine how the joints differ, how they behave during testing, and what deformations occur.