Monitoring fiber orientation in OSB during production using filtered image analysis

The orientation of oriented strand board (OSB) mats has been practically measured on a commercial factory production line to demonstrate the practical capabilities of the filtered image analysis (FIA) technique. Samples have been cut from OSB panels at a range of angles to the panel axis and these samples have been tested in bending. The factory data and the experimental data have been compared in order to investigate the relationship between the practical condition of fiber orientation in the factory and the bending properties as a function of orientation. The following conclusions can be drawn. Fiber orientation in the production line is good and stable irrespective of position across the width of the production line, time of day and changing line speed. The average value for the orientation angle of the forming mat on the production line is approximately 25°. The general shape of the fiber orientation distribution is similar to a normal distribution, however, at the centre of the fiber mat the sharpness of the distribution is greater than a normal distribution. The average orientations of fibers in commercial board lie at 25° and 60° to the longitudinal and perpendicular directions, respectively. The results suggest that there is potential to improve the mean fiber orientation angle of commercial OSB to improve longitudinal values of MOR and MOE, especially where perpendicular properties are not critical. Received 31 March 2000     

Evaluation of the arrangement of wood strands at the surface of OSB by image analysis

 The objective of this paper is to evaluate the arrangement of wood strands at the surface of oriented strand board (OSB) by image analysis. Two-dimensional image analysis enables the number of strands and the area of each strand to be computed. In addition, the fiber direction of each strand may be measured manually by recording the acute angle between the fiber direction and the longitudinal axis of the specimen. The image analysis results suggest the following: the average strand area is proportional to the reciprocal of the number of strands. Samples containing many smaller strands exhibit a larger variation in strand size. The average strand area does not correlate with the distribution of the strand area represented by the coefficient of variation. However, there is a reasonable correlation between the number of smaller strands in the range 0 to 1 cm² and the coefficient of variation of strand area. At low average fiber orientations, i.e. better orientation with the principal panel axis, there is smaller variability in orientation. The upper side and lower side of OSB exhibit a different relationship between average fiber orientation and strand area. The upper side of the specimens contains larger strands and exhibits better fiber orientation than the lower side. This is thought to be a function of the production process. The lower side strands fall on a smooth moving substrate, whereas the upper side strands fall on a stable substrate of strands. The number of strands is lower on the upper side of the OSB panel because small size strands tend to migrate to the lower side of the OSB during production. The small particles tend to be vibrated through the strand mat to the lower face before pressing. Received 29 March 1999     

Effect of particle shape on linear expansion of particleboard

Hinoki (Japanese cypress) strand with 0.6mm thickness was hammer-milled to prepare three types of particles that had the same thickness but different lengths and widths. Screen analysis and image analysis were conducted to evaluate the shape and distribution of the particle dimensions. Laboratory-scale particleboards were fabricated at three density levels using these particles. To determine the true effect of particle shape on the linear expansion (LE) of the board, these boards exhibited almost the same temperature behavior during pressing, the same density profile, and the same bending properties at each board density level. LE at 40°C and 90% relative humidity of the board was found to be affected by the particle shape. The board composed of small particles showed a larger LE at the same density level. It was considered that the out-of-plane orientation angle of the particles affected the LE of the boards. Thickness swelling and internal bond strength were also affected by the particle shape.Part of this report was presented at the 50th annual meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Kyoto, April 2000     

酚醛树脂制造竹定向刨花板的工艺探讨

竹定向刨花板(BOSB)是将窄长竹刨花经过施胶、定向铺装和热压而成的一种多层结构板材.通过测定竹刨花形态、施胶量、热压工艺等因素对BOSB性能的影响,探索制造BOSB的较佳工艺条件.采用本试验确定的工艺参数试制的样板,主要性能指标可满足林业标准中木质OSB/3类一级品的要求.     

Manufacture of composite board using wood prunings and waste porcelain stone

The objective of this study was to develop a method for the effective use of both pruned wood and porcelain stone scrap. Thus, we manufactured a wood-porcelain stone composite board, which has excellent waterproof property and incombustibility properties. In addition, we examined the conditions needed to manufacture the wood-porcelain stone composite board as a construction material and evaluated the physical and mechanical properties of this board based on the Japanese Industrial Standard. The main results obtained were as follows: the wood-porcelain stone composite board made from pruned wood and porcelain stone scrap had excellent thickness swelling performance and the board had incombustibility properties that were better than commercial oriented strand board. In both single-layer and three-layer composite boards with weight ratios of porcelain stone particles of 40%, the internal bond strength exceeded the standard value of type 18 particleboard of JIS A 5908. However, the bending properties of the composite board were inferior to the type 18 particleboard standard. Therefore, it will be necessary to improve the bending properties of the board by changing the particle sizes of both the porcelain stone scrap and the pruned wood component. Part of this article was presented at the 57th Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society at Hiroshima, August 2007     

Densification,screw holding strength,and Brinell hardness of European beech and poplar oriented strand boards

In this study, selected mechanical properties of beech and poplar oriented strand board such as screw holding strength (SH) and Brinell hardness (BH) as well as the relationship of stress and strain under compression for both species under two temperatures (180°C and 220°C) were examined. Poly methylene diphenyl diisocyanate resinated laboratory-scale boards in different design and density of both species (650 and 720?kg/m³) were prepared. The results showed that density has a positive effect on SH and BH of panels. It was also observed that wood species (beech or poplar) and size of strands (normal or fine size) also effect on SH. Both species showed a specific behavior regarding the lapse of stress and strain during compression.     

The mechanical and physical properties of strand boards treated with preservatives at different stages of manufacture

The physical and mechanical properties of boards treated with a preservative at different points during the manufacture process were evaluated to determine the best stage for the application of preservative. A copper boron tebuconazole amine water-based preservative was used in 3% PF-bonded strand boards to achieve five different retentions. Preservative addition was examined at different stages of the manufacture cycle, namely, green strand diffusion, dry strand vacuum treatment, glue-line spray addition, heat and cold quench of manufactured board, and by post-manufacture vacuum treatment. The treatment methods had marked effects on the mechanical properties of some of the boards when the boards with the highest preservative retention were compared with their respective untreated controls. The best results were achieved where the preservative was applied by vacuum treatment of dry strands or by diffusion of green strands before board manufacture. Increasing preservative retention had minimal effects on board properties with these two methods but significant deterioration was noted when the preservative was applied by spraying dry strands or by post-board-manufacture heat and cold quench. An increase of pressing temperature resulted in significant improvements to the mechanical properties of the spray-treated boards. Post-manufacture vacuum treatment of boards caused excessively high losses in internal bond strength.     

Composite behavior of laminated strand lumber

The mechanical properties of laminated strand lumber are dependent on the orientation of strands and on the variability of strand alignment in the production process. A model is proposed to predict the in-plane properties and their statistical distributions to allow manufacturers to set target reliability levels for their products. The model is based on the theory of mechanics of composites and assumes homogeneity in each panel layer to allow for multiple-layer panels to be simulated. To verify the model, five types of panels are fabricated using aspen strands with the following stacking sequences: (a) fully-oriented (0° throughout); (b) fully-random (R throughout); (c) random core/oriented surfaces (0°/R/R/0°); (d) random surfaces/oriented core (R/0°/0°/R); and (e) eight oriented layers (0°/+45°/-45°/0°/0°/-45°/+45°/0°). In-plane elastic moduli and ultimate strengths (in tension, compression, and shear) are determined for each panel type. Model predictions match well with experimental results. Properties are shown to be dependent on the degree of strand alignment in each panel type. Using the first-order reliability method, statistical distributions on the properties were predicted and found to compare well with experimental results. A method is proposed for dealing with misalignment of strands based on the von Mises distribution of strand angles to assist manufacturers with production process optimization.     

铜基防腐剂对竹材定向刨花板性能的影响

选用季铵铜(ACQ)、铜唑(CuAz)及环烷酸铜(CuN)3种铜基防腐剂,考察防腐剂添加对竹材定向刨花板物理力学性能的影响。研究表明,3种防腐剂处理材的物理力学性能,均满足LY/T 1580-2000《定向刨花板》中OSB/3规定;其中,CuAz及CuN各载药量处理材的性能均超过OSB/4的要求,并且综合力学性能优于ACQ处理材。添加2.21 kg/m3的CuAz制作的板材性能略低于对照试板外,其余防腐剂或载药量对板材性能无不利影响。     

The relationship between the arrangement of wood strands at the surface of OSB and the modulus of rupture determined by image analysis

The objective of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the arrangement of wood strands at the surface of oriented strand board (OSB) and the modulus of rupture (MOR) determined by applying the technique of image analysis (IA). Fiber orientation was measured manually. In addition a CCD (charge coupled device) digital camera was used to automatically measure the fiber orientation at the surface of OSB. The total number of OSB samples evaluated was equal to 55, but variation in density was small and the coefficient of variation was only 4%. In contrast, the variation in MOR is wide and the coefficient of variation is 17%. Thus, the variation in density of OSB does not reflect variations in MOR. The relationship between the MOR and the average angle of fiber orientation resulted in a weak negative correlation (r=−0.44) as might be expected, as better axial orientation should improve MOR. The average strand area gave no correlation with MOR. Clearly, large strands which should enhance MOR may be heavily disoriented, whereas small strands which have less influence on the MOR might be well oriented. Hence no correlation between MOR and average strand area is observed. The prediction of MOR by using a multiple linear regression equation including density and fiber orientation factors is only moderately successful. Hence another factor must be identified to predict MOR accurately. The CCD camera measures fiber orientation at the OSB surface effectively. Received 29 March 1999     

Development of high-performance strand boards: engineering design and experimental investigations

Strand-based engineered wood products such as oriented strand boards enjoy great popularity in structural engineering and are widely used for a variety of applications. To strengthen their competitiveness and to enlarge their range of utilization particularly in the load-bearing sector, the mechanical properties of these products need to be improved. This motivated the research efforts to use large-area, slender veneer strands for the production of strand boards with increased stiffness and strength. Target-oriented development of these products requires comprehending the effects of the relevant (micro-)characteristics, such as wood quality, strand geometry, and strand orientation and compaction during the production process, as well as layer assembly and density profile, on the mechanical properties of the finished strand boards. Comprehensive test series, in which these effects on tension, bending and shear properties of the boards have been studied individually, are presented in this paper. The obtained results provided insight into the microstructural load-carrying mechanisms and, thus, yielded valuable knowledge for product optimization and further improvement of custom-designed strand-based engineered wood products.     

Development of high-performance strand boards: multiscale modeling of anisotropic elasticity

The interrelationships between microstructural characteristics and anisotropic elastic properties of strand-based engineered wood products are highly relevant in order to produce custom-designed strand products with tailored properties. A model providing a link between these characteristics and the resulting elastic behavior of the strand products is a very valuable tool to study these relationships. Here, the development, the experimental validation, and several applications of a multiscale model for strand products are presented. In a first homogenization step, the elastic properties of homogeneous strand boards are estimated by means of continuum micromechanics from strand shape, strand orientation, elastic properties of the used raw material, and mean board density. In a second homogenization step, the effective stiffness of multi-layer strand boards is determined by means of lamination theory, where the vertical density profile and different layer assemblies are taken into account. On the whole, this model enables to predict the macroscopic mechanical performance of strand-based panels from microscopic mechanical and morphological characteristics and, thus, constitutes a valuable tool for product development and optimization.     

The evaluation of long-term mechanical properties of wood-based panels by indoor exposure tests

Wood-based panels such as plywood, oriented strand board, particleboard, and medium-density fiberboard are used for roof, wall and floor sheathing materials in residential construction. However, the service life of these panels is still unknown due to the lack of long-term durability data. In this paper, test results from six different indoor exposure experiments were integrated to investigate the long-term durability of wood-based panels. The indoor exposure tests lasted for a maximum of 10 years, providing the panels with the changes in moisture content that ranged between 5 and 18%. The reduction in mechanical properties was determined to be in the range of 0–16% for the bending strength, 3–22% for the modulus of elasticity, 11–31% for the internal bond strength and 0–8% for the nail-head pull-through strength. No reduction was recognized for the lateral nail resistance. Furthermore, the concept of deterioration intensity (DI) based on the moisture content history was introduced to predict the long-term durability of the panels, and various calculation methods for DI were discussed so as to increase the correlativity of this property with the reduction in a mechanical property.     

单板木束复合板主要物理力学性能的试验研究

通过试验研究了单板木束复合板的主要物理力学性能;分析了单板条的宽度、接头形式对芯板性能的影响。研究结果表明,单板木束复合板具有良好的物理力学性能,是天然木材或胶合板等人造板材的替代品。     

Veneer strand flanged I-beam with MDF or particleboard as web material III: effect of strand density and preparation method on the basic properties

Optimizing the manufacturing conditions of veneer strand-flanged I-beams was continued in this study and focused on the strand density and preparation method. Three levels of strand density were used, while the strands were prepared by either saw or roll-press splitter. The main results indicated that: within the compaction ratios (1.4–2.3) investigated in this study, the strand with lower density showed slight improvement in the dimensional stability and the bond strength between web and flange, but not in bending properties of the I-beams. The strand preparation method was concluded to be dependent on species for akamatsu, sugi, and bamboo strands; roll-press splitter-prepared strands tended to negatively affect dimensional stability and mechanical properties of the I-beams. When using akamatsu or sugi strands, low density allowed the possibility of using lower resin application rates between strands. Part of this paper was presented at the 54th Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society in Sapporo, August 2004     

Influence of specimen size during accelerated weathering of wood-based structural panels

ABSTRACT

Wood structural panels are commonly subjected to short-term accelerated weathering (AW) procedures to determine relative moisture durability for quality control and product development purposes. The panel edges contribute heavily to moisture uptake since edges represent the least resistant pathway for moisture intrusion. In full-size panels, the edge area to total surface area ratio is small, and moisture intrusion is primarily limited to panel faces. When small specimens are used, such as those in AW procedures, the ratio of edge area to total surface area increases and moisture intrusion at the edges may dominate, which is referred to as the edge effect. The purpose of this study was to determine if physical and mechanical properties of oriented strand board (OSB) and plywood after AW are influenced by specimen size. Specimen width was varied while thickness and length remained constant to understand if edge effects were present in small specimens with different edge area to total surface area ratios. Three AW procedures were evaluated to determine if the effect of specimen size depends on weathering method. No clear effect of specimen size on physical and mechanical properties of either composite type was found. Differences in flexural properties between specimen widths were observed for unweathered OSB, but similar property retention between specimen widths after AW indicated the same trend as the unweathered control. Plywood results were influenced by natural defects, resulting in high variability and absence of statistically significant differences. Lateral nail resistance connection properties of both OSB and plywood were highly variable for all treatment groups and were unaffected by weathering.     

Effect of nanoclay on some applied properties of oriented strand board (OSB) made from underutilized low quality paulownia (Paulownia fortunei) wood

In this study, the effect of nanoclay on some applied properties of oriented strand board (OSB) made from underutilized low quality paulownia wood was investigated. Organo-modified montmorillonite (MMT) at four levels (0, 1, 3 and 5?%) was added to urea formaldehyde (UF) resin. Some chemical properties of paulownia wood (holocellulose, cellulose, lignin and ash contents, pH value and hot and cold water solubility), mechanical [modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE), internal bond strength, screw and nail withdrawal strengths], physical (water absorption and thickness swelling) properties and formaldehyde emission of the strand boards were evaluated. Mechanical properties of all panels complied with the general-purpose OSB minimum property requirements of European Norm. With increasing 5?% nanoclay to UF resin, mechanical and physical properties of the resulting panels improved and formaldehyde emission decreased. However, none of the panels satisfied the thickness swelling and water absorption requirement. The results of X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope analysis confirmed the good dispersion of nanoclay in the resulting OSBs. Using paulownia as a fast-growing underutilized species not only can sustain the forests but also can supply raw material to countries facing shortage of wood.     

Veneer strand flanged I-beam with MDF or particleboard as web material IV: Effect of web material types and flange density on the basic properties

The balance of strength between the flange and web parts of veneer strand flanged I-beam was investigated by the following methods: (1) use of different web material types, such as plywood, oriented strand board (OSB), particleboard (PB), and medium density fiberboard (MDF), that have different strength properties; and (2) fabrication of I-beams with low-density flanges using low-density strands with PB web material. Replacing PB or MDF with plywood showed slight significant improvement in the modulus of rupture but not in the modulus of elasticity of the entire I-beam. However, PB and MDF showed competent performance in comparison with OSB, thus strengthening the promising future of the use of PB or MDF as web material to fabricate I-beams. Hot-pressing conditions used for I-beam production exerted slightly adverse effects on the bending properties of PB, but not on MDF, OSB, and plywood web materials. The flange density of 0.60 g/cm³ was considered to be the lower limit that provides I-beams with balanced mechanical properties and dimensional stability.     

Microscopic observation of wood-based composites exposed to fungal deterioration

This study was conducted to investigate the susceptibility of various wood composite panels exposed to wood-deteriorating fungi. Five wood-attacking fungi (three mold fungi, one brown rot fungus, one white rot fungus) were inoculated into four types of commercial wood composite panels (plywood, oriented strand board, particleboard, and medium-density fiberboard). One solid wood sample was included as a control. The attacking patterns of the fungi in each panel was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The weight losses due to the exposure were compared. All wood composites were more or less susceptible to all fungi inoculated. The attacking mode of the fungi was highly dependent on the types of wood composite, which had inherently different shapes of voids owing to different shapes and characteristics of the raw furnish materials used. Plywood and medium-density fiberboard showed a large weight loss after an 8-week exposure to decay fungi. Plywood is the most susceptible to white and brown rot fungi. This study indicates that all wood composite panels should undergo careful consideration to prevent fungal deterioration when they are used for exterior and humid interior applications.     

Recent research and development work on wood composites in Japan

Summary This paper highlights a number of articles on research and development on wood composites. The coefficient of variation in the mechanical properties of wood components tends to decrease when the thickness of the wood elements decreases. This finding was utilized in the manufacture of hollow cylindrical columns of laminated veneer lumber (LVL) from Cryptomeria plantation thinnings. In the future, the marketing of wood composite boards will tend toward two types: thick boards with low density properties and thin boards with fiber orientation. For the production of thick boards, fundamental parameters and application of steam-injection pressing have been studied, and continuous steam-injection pressing has been developed. For thin board production, generation principles of aligning torque in high-voltage system and the application has been studied. A new oriented mat former with electrodes positioned only at the reverse side of a forming belt has been developed. Various synthetic resins of low-molecular weight have been applied to improve dimensional stability of laminated products, such as LVLs and particleboards. Acetylation and formalyzation of fibers and particles were investigated to provide stabilized panels. High pressure steam treatment during pressing of wood composites has been studied and the process has been found effective and promising.The authors wish to thank Mr. Dwight A. Eusebio for his help in the preparation of this paperThis paper was presented at the IUFRO All Division 5 conference in Nancy, France, on August 15, 1992