Mechanical Properties of Particleboard using Acacia Mangium Wood Particles Binded With Seaweed-Based Adhesives

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mechanical properties of particleboards made from Acacia mangium wood particles binded with three different types of seaweed-based adhesive. Red seaweed (RS), brown seaweed (BS) and green seaweed (GS) were used as the seaweed-based adhesives., while particleboard using urea formaldehyde (UF) adhesive was produced as control. Adhesives and wood particles were mixed and then undergone mat-forming, pre-pressing, hot-pressing and conditioning process. The test pieces for bending test (Modulus of Elasticity, MOE; Modulus of Rupture, MOR), and internal bonding strength (IB) were cut into size according to JIS A 5908: 2003. From mechanical properties results attained, for internal bonding strength test, all boards using RS, BS and GS adhesives were found to be significantly different at p≤0.05. Apart from that, RS adhesive showed highest MOE and MOR at 529.4259 N/mm2 and 1.7900 N/mm2, respectively. As a conclusion, the mechanical properties of particleboard using RS, BS, and GS adhesives showed RS stands out as the better adhesive among them which have significant effects on its strength.

Conventional Low-density Particleboards Produced With Particles From Mauritia Flexuosa and Eucalyptus Spp. Wood

The use of alternative raw materials to produce particleboards is an interesting strategy to add value to lignocellulosic biomass and diversify the forest products industry. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential for using Mauritia flexuosa particles in association with Eucalyptus spp. wood for the production of particleboards. Prior to the production of the panels, the raw materials were evaluated for basic density and chemical composition. The panels were produced with particles of Eucalyptus spp. and Mauritia flexuosa in mass proportions of 100/0%, 90/10%, 80/20%, 70/30% and 60/40%, respectively. The quality of the particleboards was evaluated by water absorption and thickness swelling, internal bonding and static bending tests. As Eucalyptus spp. particles were replaced by Mauritia flexuosa, the panels showed less dimensional stability, due to the fact that the compression ratio increased due to the lower density of Mauritia flexuosa particles. The substitution of 1% of Mauritia flexuosa particles caused a reduction of 10.49 MPa for MOE, 0.09 MPa for MOR and 0.01 MPa for internal bonding. The results demonstrate that it is feasible to replace up to 17.5% of Eucalyptus spp. wood with particles from Mauritia flexuosa so that the panels have physical and mechanical properties appropriate to the marketing standards.

Experimental Investigation of Vertical Density Profile of Medium Density Fiberboard in Hot Press

This research investigates the performance of medium density fiberboard (MDF) with respect to hot press parameters. The performance of the board, type of glue, and production efficiency determine the optimum temperature and pressure for hot pressing. The actual temperature of the hot press inside the MDF board determines the properties of the final product. Hence, the optimal hot press parameters for the desired product are experimentally obtained. Moreover, MDF is experimentally investigated in terms of its vertical density profile, bending, and internal bonding under the various input parameters of temperature, pressure, cycle time, and moisture content during the manufacturing process. The experimental study is carried out by varying the temperature, pressure, cycle time, and moisture content in the ranges of 200–220 °C, 145–155 bar, 260–275 s, and 8–10%, respectively. Consequently, the optimum input parameters of a hot-pressing temperature of 220 °C, pressure of 155 bar, cycle time of 256 s, and moisture content of 8% are identified for the required internal bonding (0.64 N/mm2), bending (32 N/mm2), and increase in both the core and peak density of the vertical density profile as per the ASTM standard.

Performance of ANN in Predicting Internal Bonding of Cement Particleboard Manufactured from Giant Reed and Bagasse

The present article investigates the microstructure of the cement matrices and the products of cement hydration by means of scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-Ray diffraction. Then, the internal bonding strength (IB) is measured for the mixtures containing various amounts of nanosilica (NS), reed and bagasse particles. Finally, an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is trained to reproduce these experimental results. The results show that the hardened cement paste including NS features the highest level of C-S-H. However, it has a lower level of C-S-H polymerization if reed or bagasse particles are applied. A relatively new dense microstructural degree is considered in the cement pastes containing NS, and a lower agglomeration is observed in the samples including reed or bagasse particles with NS. According to the microstructural analysis, the addition of NS to the samples containing reed or bagasse particles increases the unhydrated amount of C2S and C3S in the cement paste due to the decrease in the water needed for fully hydrated cement grains through portlandite (Ca(OH)2), C-S-H and ettringite increase. Besides, it is shown that the ANN prediction model is a useful, reliable and quite effective tool for modeling IB of cement-bonded particleboard (CBPB). It is indicated that the mean absolute percentage errors (MAPE) are 1.98 % and 1.45 % in the prediction of the IB values for the training and testing datasets, respectively. The determination coeffi cients (R2) of the training and testing data sets are 0.972 and 0.997 in the prediction of the bonding strength by ANN, respectively.

Enhanced properties of single-layer particleboard made from oil palm empty fruit bunch fibre with additional water-soluble additives

The efficacy of additional water-soluble additives was studied relative to the physical and mechanical properties of particleboards produced from oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB). Polyethylene glycol, acrylamide, and acrylic resin were selected as water-soluble additives for use in the OPEFB particleboard production process. The effects of the three additives at two different concentrations (2% and 4% of dry OPEFB mass) on the particleboard properties were evaluated. Addition of water-soluble additives increased the performance of the OPEFB particleboard. The additive concentration has a significant effect on the properties of the particleboard. With the increase of additive concentration, the internal bonding and modulus of rupture value increased while the thickness swelling and water absorption decreased. Particleboards with an additional 4% of acrylamide or polyethylene glycol achieved the highest modulus of rupture (22 MPa), highest internal bonding strength (1 N/mm2), and lowest thickness swelling (9%). All the particleboards produced with 4% of water-soluble additive achieved the standard requirements of JIS A 5908:2003 for physical and mechanical properties.

Mechanical Properties of Commercial Particleboard from Rubberwood (Hevea Brasiliensis) and Recycle Mix-Tropical Wood with Different Board Density

In this study, mechanical properties of commercially manufactured hybrid particleboard from mix-tropical wood and rubberwood with four different densities at 25mm thickness have been investigated. The particleboard sample cutting and testing was in accordance to EN312:2013. The density of particleboard is identified with interval of 10kg/m3 for different densities which include 660kg/m3, 670kg/m3, 680kg/m3 and 690kg/m3. Particleboards were made with the ratio of 40:60 for mix-tropical wood particle and rubberwood particle respectively. The particleboards were prepared with urea formaldehyde (UF) with E1 formulation with addition of wax and hardener. Increment of 10kg/m3 density for each particleboard led to increase in internal bonding (IB), bending testing include modulus of rupture (MOR) and modulus of elasticity (MOE), surface soundness (SS) and screw edge (SE) withdrawal. It was found that with board increment of 10kg/m3, the improvement was not statically significant except that for MOR. All panels met the minimum requirements of standard.

Influence of Different Percentages of Binders on the Physico-Mechanical Properties of Rhizophora spp. Particleboard as Natural-Based Tissue-Equivalent Phantom for Radiation Dosimetry Applications

Rhizophora spp. particleboard with the incorporation of lignin and soy flour as binders were fabricated and the influence of different percentages of lignin and soy flour (0%, 6% and 12%) on the physico-mechanical properties of the particleboard were studied. The samples were characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and internal bonding. The results stipulated that the addition of binders in the fabrication of the particleboard did not change the functional groups according to the FTIR spectrum. For XRD, addition of binders did not reveal any major transformation within the composites. SEM and EDX analyses for all percentages of binders added showed no apparent disparity; however, it is important to note that the incorporation of binders allows better bonding between the molecules. In XRF analysis, lower percentage of chlorine in the adhesive-bonded samples may be advantageous in maintaining the natural properties of the particleboard. In internal bonding, increased internal bond strength in samples with binders may indicate better structural integrity and physico-mechanical strength. In conclusion, the incorporation of lignin and soy flour as binders may potentially strengthen and fortify the particleboard, thus, can be a reliable phantom in radiation dosimetry applications.

Potential of Seaweed (Kappaphycus alvarezii) as a Particleboard

Recently, the utilization of lignocellulosic materials to produce eco-friendly products is very promising as biodegradable reinforcing elements for composite materials like particleboards and medium density fiberboards. The growing shortage of wood supply has also led to the development of suitable alternative materials for construction. For this reason, the industry is working to develop high-efficiency green materials including the use of seaweed. This research is aims to study the potential of seaweed from Kappaphycus species as a particleboard. Several different target densities were produced according to following proportions: seaweed particles from 150 to 200 grams and UF resin from 15% to 20%. Mechanical properties including internal bonding and bending testing were tested in this study. Samples were also investigated by utilizing microscopy for surface characterization. The outcome showed that seaweed particleboard with highest amount of seaweed particle and UF resin resulted in highest MOE, MOR and internal bonding strength values with results 457.47, 1.5, and 4.73 MPa, respectively. According to Japanese Standard, Internal bonding (IB) strength values for all the samples met the IB requirements of the standards for general uses. Thus, seaweed particle has potential to be an alternative raw material in the manufacture of particleboards.

Development of lignocellulosic fiber reinforced cement composite panels using semi-dry technology

There is a growing interest in developing cement bonded lignocellulosic fiber (LF) composites with enhanced mechanical performances. This study assessed the possibility of developing composite panels with 12 mm thickness and around 1200 kg/m3 nominal densities from ordinary Portland cements (OPC) and mixed LFs from seven different woody plants found in Hungary. Once the mixed LFs were sieved and found fine (0–0.6 mm) and medium (0.6–0.8 mm) length fibers. The optimum ratio for LF, OPC, water glass (Na2SiO3), and cement stone was found to be 1:3.5:0.7:0.07. The semi-dry process, which is a comparatively cheaper and less labor intensive technology, was used for producing the composites. After 28 days of curing, the composite panels were characterized for mechanical, physical, thermal, and morphological properties. A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) test was conducted to observe the fiber orientation in the matrix before and after the bending test, which showed the clear presence of the fibers in the composites. The FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) was conducted to investigate the presence of chemical compounds of LF in the composite panels. Different physical (water absorption and thickness swelling) characteristics of the composite panels were investigated. Furthermore, mechanical properties (flexural properties and internal bonding strength) of the composite panels were also found to be satisfactory. The flexural modulus and internal bonding strengths of composite panel 2 is higher than other three boards, although the flexural strength is a little lower than composite panel 1. The thermogravimetric analysis and differential thermogravimetry also indicated better thermal stability of composite panels which could be used as potential insulation panel for buildings. Graphic abstract