Fatigue in wood-based panels. Part 1: The strength variability and fatigue performance of OSB, chipboard and MDF

Wood-based panels used as floor decking can be exposed to fatigue as well as creep loading. The strength and fatigue performances of three wood-based panel products OSB, chipboard and MDF have been determined in four-point bending. The mean bending strengths were found to decrease in the following order MDF>OSB>chipboard. The bending strength variation within the OSB was considerably greater than that for chipboard and MDF. Normalised with respect to the static strengths, the fatigue performance of the chipboard was superior to that of the OSB, although the two materials have very similar performances at low stress levels. Normalised with respect to the static strengths, the fatigue performance of the MDF was inferior to both materials and at lower stress levels the fatigue performance deteriorated to a greater extent. However, in terms of absolute applied stress, the fatigue performance of the MDF was superior to that of the OSB, which was superior to that of the chipboard. However, as the stress was reduced the difference between the three materials reduced. At low stresses the performances of the three materials were quite similar. Received 5 August 1999     

Effect of two relative humidity environments on the performance properties of MDF, OSB and chipboard.

The fatigue and creep performance of MDF, OSB and chipboard have been examined in two environments, namely 65%RH (standard environment) and 85%RH (high humidity). Parallel fatigue and creep tests have been performed in four-point bending on the three wood-based panel products in the two environments. The constant 65%RH environment is service class 1 and the constant 85% RH environment is indicative of a service class 2 environment as detailed in Eurocode 5. The non-interruptive technique of stress-strain hysteresis loop capture has been utilised to follow property changes of the fatigue samples during cyclic loading at a stress ratio of R equal to 0.1. Loop parameters such as loop area, dynamic modulus, and fatigue modulus have been used to characterise the response of these materials to fatigue loads in the two environments. Creep microstrains for the creep samples were recorded in parallel with the fatigue parameters. Fatigue and creep results at 85%RH were more variable than those reported at 65%RH for MDF, OSB and chipboard. In general, at R=0.1 and 85%RH, fatigue and creep microstrains were higher, dynamic stiffnesses were lower and hysteresis loop areas were higher than corresponding properties measured at 65%RH. MDF and chipboard were less moisture tolerant than OSB, this is reflected in the large changes in fatigue and creep parameters.     

Effect of two relative humidity environments on the performance properties of MDF, OSB and chipboard

The static strength, stiffness and fatigue life of MDF, OSB and chipboard have been measured in a 65%RH environment and a 85%RH environment. Chipboard is commonly utilised as a flooring material and OSB is also used in structural applications, for example floor decking and webs of I-beams. The mean static strengths of MDF, OSB and chipboard at 65%RH were 47.9 MPa, 27.9 MPa and 21.0Mpa, respectively, compared with 34.59 MPa, 21.70 MPa and 10.61 MPa at 85%RH. However, MDF has mostly been used in non-structural applications, such as furniture, so its resistance to fatigue loads as a structural panel is of considerable interest. In a 65%RH environment dynamic modulus values showed that whilst MDF and chipboard exhibit similar stiffness values (4 GPa), OSB is approximately 50% stiffer. However, at 85%RH MDF was the stiffest of the three materials, followed by OSB and chipboard. The fatigue life performance of all three panel products was markedly lower at 85%RH compared with 65%RH. Overall, the high RH environment had a noticeably detrimental effect on the MOE (modulus of elasticity), MOR (modulus of rupture) and fatigue lives of OSB and chipboard. This is attributed to these panels retaining more of the original characteristics of the original wood, i.e. larger particle sizes (flakes/chips) compared with the homogeneous fibrous composition of MDF. Received 5 November 1999     

Adhesive systems used in the European particleboard,MDF and OSB industries*

In this work, the adhesive systems used today in the European industries of particleboard, medium density fibreboard (MDF) and oriented strand board (OSB) are discussed. The structure of particleboard, MDF and OSB markets in Europe in relation to the types of adhesives and product specifications are presented as well. It is noticeable that new markets for wood-based panels like particleboard and fibreboard, known as non-furniture markets, are growing in Europe at a fast rate. It was concluded that most of the technological changes concerning the adhesive systems applied and additives have been realised from the need for niche panel products, the obligation to reach even lower formaldehyde emissions, and the necessity to decrease production costs due to the stringent competition in the market of wood-based panels.     

Effect of accelerated aging treatment on a surface property and dynamic mechanical properties of commercial wood-based panels

Changes in surface property and mechanical properties in commercial particleboards and medium density fiberboards subjected to repetitive relative humidity treatment (i.e., aging treatment) were investigated. The stylus technique was used to evaluate surface roughness and a non-destructive vibrational test was used to evaluate dynamic bending strength during aging treatment. These methods evaluated the effect of aging treatment effectively. The aging treatment increased surface roughness and loss tangent (tan δ) values, but decreased dynamic modulus of elasticity (E _d) values of the panels compared to the respective initial values. The increment of surface roughness and E _d degradations observed were larger than the tan δ degradations. Surface roughness and tan δ seemed to be relatively dependent on resin type, whereas E _d was relatively independent under the aging treatment. Overall, the medium density fiberboard bonded methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDF(MDI)) panel was superior among the types of panels studied under the aging treatment. There was strong correlation between average roughness (R _a) increment and E _d retention.     

Cyanoethylation of several fiber materials and their utilization as adhesive in wood-based panels

This study examines the cyanoethylation and thermoplasticity of several cyanoethylated fiber materials. Cyanoethylated pulps with a degree of substitution of 1.43 have the lowest Vicat softening point. Cyanoethylated poplar with a weight gain of 18.2 % has the lowest melting temperature. Instead of traditional adhesives, cyanoethylated materials can be used to produce wood-based panels because of their good thermoplasticity. Plywood bonded with cyanoethylated pulp has a bonding strength of 2.06 MPa and an average wood failure of 62.7 %. Wheat straw particle board containing 40 % cyanoethylated pulp has an internal bonding strength of 0.49 MPa, a modulus of rupture (MOR) of 33 MPa, and a density between 0.5 and 0.6 g cm^?3. Fiberboard containing 40 % cyanoethylated pulp has an internal bonding strength of 0.53 MPa, MOR of 38 MPa, modulus of elasticity of 4,200 MPa, and a density between 0.7 and 0.8 g cm^?3. Its swelling in thickness is 41 %.     

Image analysis and bending properties of model OSB panels as a function of strand distribution,shape and size

The technique of image analysis has been used to assess the quality of model oriented strand board panels by investigating the relationships between shape and size of strands, the distribution of strands and bending properties. A batch of commercial strands was analysed by image analysis and the distribution of the shape and size of strands was quantified. The strands were categorised into five strand types as a function of size and aspect ratio. In general, strand shapes were observed to be mostly rectangular and there was also a wide variation in strand dimensions in commercial material. Bigger area strands had low aspect ratios and small strands had high aspect ratios. Half of the commercial strands were longer than 100 mm.Model OSB panels were manufactured in the laboratory by hot pressing strand mats formed from each of the five strand types. Strands were laid up by hand into the forming mat and following pressing the orientation and shape of strands was evaluated by image analysis and the panels were tested in a three point bending. Large area (type 3) strands with high aspect ratios produced model panels with optimum strand orientation and mechanical properties.Type 3 panels were also fabricated from strands dropped through a slotted forming device in order to simulate the delivery of strands to the forming line under factory conditions. As the height of strand delivery increased from 0 to 100 to 200 mm the disorientation of strands in the pressed panels progressively increased and as a result mechanical properties in bending were reduced.Image analysis is therefore a powerful tool for evaluating the distribution of commercial strand shapes and the relationship between strand geometry, strand orientation and the mechanical properties of oriented strand board.     

Comparative study on measurement of elastic constants of wood-based panels using modal testing: choice of boundary conditions and calculation methods

Modal testing based on the theory of transverse vibration of orthotropic plate has shown great potentials in measuring elastic constants of panel products. Boundary condition (BC) and corresponding calculation method are key in affecting its practical application in terms of setup implementation, frequency identification, accuracy and calculation efforts. To evaluate different BCs for non-destructive testing of wood-based panels, three BCs with corresponding calculation methods were investigated for measuring their elastic constants, namely in-plane elastic moduli (E _x , E _y ) and shear modulus (G _xy ). As a demonstration of the concept, the products used in this study were oriented strand board (OSB) and medium density fiberboard (MDF). The BCs and corresponding calculated methods investigated were, (a) all sides free (FFFF) with one-term Rayleigh frequency equation and finite element modeling, (b) one side simply supported and the other three free (SFFF) with one-term Rayleigh frequency equation, (c) a pair of opposite sides along minor strength direction simply supported and the other pair along major strength direction free (SFSF) with improved three-term Rayleigh frequency equation. Differences between modal and static results for different BCs were analyzed for each case. Results showed that all three modal testing approaches could be applied for evaluation of the elastic constants of wood-based panels with different accuracy levels compared with standard static test methods. Modal testing on full-size panels is recommended for developing design properties of structural panels as it can provide global properties.     

中/高密度纤维板加工工艺及新技术开发--加拿大国家林产工业技术研究院MDF/HDF实验中心侧访

加拿大森林资源丰富,林产工业是其重要产业之一,2004年其MDF产年量达157万m3,约占北美地区MDF年总产量的30%,并且近年来一直保持着稳步的发展态势.加拿大国家林产工业技术研究院(Forintek)是该国唯一的国家林产工业研究机构,对加拿大林产工业的发展起到举足轻重的作用.Forintek总部位于温哥华(Vancouver)市,并在魁北克(Quebec)省Sainte-Foy市设有一个研究分院,在渥太华(Ottawa)等其他主要省/市还设有多个办事处,便于与工厂加强联系.为支持、适应北美地区MDF/HDF的发展,Forintek在Quebec研究分院专门成立了一个MDF/HDF实验中心.获悉2005年秋,我国人造板行业的知名专家--东北林业大学陆仁书教授应邀前往Quebec分院访问.笔者慕名就该院MDF/HDF实验中心的运作及研究状况采访了陆教授,并作此篇报道,以飨读者.     

Alley cropping of maize with calliandra and leucaena in the subhumid highlands of Kenya: Part 2. Soil-fertility changes and maize yield

Although N-rich leaf biomass of multipurpose trees is known to be a good source of N to crops, integrating such trees into crop production systems is a major challenge in the development of viable agroforestry systems. An approach to integrating calliandra (Calliandra calothyrsus Meissner) and leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit), two promising agroforestry tree species, into maize (Zea mays L.) production system was investigated in the subhumid highlands of central Kenya during four maize-growing seasons from 1994 to 1996. The experiment consisted of maize plots to which tree prunings obtained from hedgerows grown either in situ (alley cropping) or ex situ (biomass transfer from outside) were applied. When alley-cropped with leucaena, maize produced significantly higher yields compared to maize monoculture (both non-fertilized and fertilized) treatments, but when alley-cropped with calliandra, the yield of maize was less than that of the monocropped unfertilized control. Application of ex situ grown calliandra and leucaena prunings with or without fertilizer resulted in higher maize grain yield than in the nonfertilized and fertilized treatments. Yields of calliandra alley- cropped maize were 11% to 51% lower than those of nonalley-cropped treatments receiving calliandra prunings from ex situ grown trees; the decrease was 2% to 17% with leucaena, indicating that calliandra hedges were more competitive than leucaena hedges. The alley-cropped prunings-removed treatments produced the lowest maize yields. The study showed that, in the subhumid tropical highlands of Kenya, inclusion of calliandra hedges on cropland adversely affected maize yields. On the other hand, alley cropping with leucaena was advantageous. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

我国中密度纤维板生产现状、发展趋势与应用前景

近10年来,我国人造板工业发展很快,尤其是具有代表性的中密度纤维板工业,已经成为了世界生产大国。在全球金融危机冲击下,2009年全国的中密度纤维板生产仍呈上升趋势,产量达到了3 250万m~3/a。展望未来中密度纤维板工业的发展趋势,2010年增长将有可能大于10%,其应用前景也将会进一步得到延伸。     

国产中纤板成套设备现状、发展趋势及对策

在介绍国产MDF设备概况的基础上,重点介绍了上海人造板机器有限公司MDF成套设备现状,并探讨向大型化、高速化、自动化以及扩大原材料范围,提高产品质量等方向发展趋势所采取的对策。     

Post-1935 changes in forest vegetation of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA: Part 2—Mixed conifer, spruce-fir, and quaking aspen forests

This study examined changes in never-harvested mixed conifer (MCF), spruce-fir (SFF), and quaking aspen forests (QAF) in Grand Canyon National Park (GCNP), Arizona, USA based on repeat sampling of two sets of vegetation study plots, one originally sampled in 1935 and the other in 1984. The 1935 plots are the earliest-known, sample-intensive, quantitative documentation of forest vegetation over a Southwest USA landscape. Findings documented that previously described increases in densities and basal areas attributed to fire exclusion were followed by decreases in 1935-2004 and 1984-2005. Decreases in MCF were attributable primarily to quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) and white fir (Abies concolor), but there were differences between dry-mesic and moist-mesic MCF subtypes. Decreases in SFF were attributable to quaking aspen, spruce (Picea engelmannii + Picea pungens), and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa). Decreases in QAF resulted from the loss of quaking aspen during succession. Changes in ponderosa pine forest (PPF) are described in a parallel paper (Vankat, J.L., 2011. Post-1935 changes in forest vegetation of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA: part 1 - ponderosa pine forest. Forest Ecology and Management 261, 309-325). Graphical synthesis of historical and modern MCF data sets for GCNP indicated tree densities and basal areas increased from the late 19th to the mid 20th century and then decreased to the 21st century. Changes began earlier, occurred more rapidly, and/or were larger at higher elevation. Plot data showed that basal area decreased earlier and/or more rapidly than density and that decreases from 1935 to 2004 resulted in convergence among MCF, SFF, and PPF. If GCNP coniferous forests are trending toward conditions present before fire exclusion, this implies density and basal area were more similar among these forests in the late 19th century than in 1935. Changes in MCF and SFF can be placed in a general framework of forest accretion, inflection, and recession in which increases in tree density and basal area are followed by an inflection point and decreases. Accretion was triggered by the exogenous factor of fire exclusion, and inflection and recession apparently were driven by the endogenous factor of density-dependent mortality combined with exogenous factors such as climate. Although the decreases in density and basal area could be unique to GCNP, it is likely that the historical study plots provided a unique opportunity to quantitatively determine forest trends since 1935. This documentation of post-1935 decreases in MCF and SFF densities and basal areas indicates a shift in perspective on Southwestern forests is needed.     

Technical innovation in Spain's wood-based industry: The role of environmental and quality strategies

This paper uses a logit model to quantify the probability of generating technological innovations in a representative sample of firms belonging to the wood-based industry in Spain (lumber and wood products, pulp and paper, and wooden furniture). Special attention has been paid to the incidence of environmental and quality strategies in firms as being determinant factors of innovation. Econometric results have indicated that these two strategies have increased innovation generation in the wood-based industry. In general, environmental and quality strategies tend to exert positive effects on the specific innovation activities of firms, in spite of the fact that a substitution relationship was found between the existence of quality management systems and R&D subsidies.     

国内竹材人造板构成及生产和市场现状

由于竹材具有密度适中、纹理美观、强度高、硬度大和耐磨性好等优点,因此竹材人造板被广泛的应用于交通、建筑、造船、以及家具和装饰材料领域,在国内的一些领域已逐步的取代了木材、钢铁和橡胶等。本文简要介绍了竹材人造板的构成单元:竹片、竹篾和竹刨花,同时指出竹材人造板设计应遵循的构成原则和方法,即对称原则、表面构成方式、以及等应力原则。依据构成单元的形成和处理方法,作者把国内竹材人造板划分为13种类型,同时详细介绍了竹材人造板的制造工艺及其产品的利用,如竹材胶合板、竹材地板及竹木复合产品。文章最后介绍了各种竹材人造板的生产、市场现状及销售状况。图7参21。     

Fatigue of structural plywood under cyclic shear through thickness I: fatigue process and failure criterion based on strain energy

The fatigue behavior of plywood specimens under shear through thickness was examined on the basis of strain energy to obtain common empirical equations for the fatigue process and failure criterion under various loading conditions. Specimens were cut from commercial plywood panels of 9-mm thickness. Loading conditions were set as follows: a square waveform at a loading frequency of 0.5 Hz, a triangular waveform at 0.5 Hz, and a triangular waveform at 5.0 Hz. Peak stress applied was determined to be 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9 of static strength, that is, stress levels of 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9. The stress-strain relationships were measured throughout the fatigue test, and the strain energy was obtained at each loading cycle. Loading conditions apparently affected the relationship between stress level and fatigue life. On the other hand, the relationship between mean strain energy per cycle and fatigue life was found to be independent of loading conditions. Mean strain energy per cycle obtained as the fatigue limit was 5.85 kJ/m³ per cycle. Assuming that the accumulation of strain energy is a fatigue indicator, the fatigue process and failure criterion for the plywood specimens under the three loading conditions were commonly expressed by the relationship between cumulative strain energy and loading cycles.     

国产中纤板成套设备现状、发展趋势及对策(续)

2　MDF设备发展趋势与对策 我国MDF生产设备虽经近十几年的发展有所改进与提高,但与国外先进国家相比差距甚远。国外人造板设备向大型化、高速化、自动化、扩大原材料范围、提高其利用率和产品质量,节能和开发新能源,注重环境保护等方向发展。加入WTO后,MDF成套设备如何与国际接轨,迎接新的挑战,这是一个值得深思的问题。     

Post-1935 changes in forest vegetation of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA: Part 1 - ponderosa pine forest

Vegetation plots originally sampled in Grand Canyon National Park (GCNP), Arizona, USA in 1935 are the earliest-known, sample-intensive, quantitative documentation of forest vegetation over a Southwest USA landscape. These historical plots were located as accurately as possible and resampled in 2004 to document multi-decadal changes in never-harvested Southwestern forests. Findings for ponderosa pine forest (PPF) differed among three forest subtypes (dry, mesic, and moist PPF), indicating that understanding the ecology of PPF subtypes is essential for development of ecologically based management practices. Dry PPF, which is transitional with pinyon-juniper vegetation at low elevation, exhibited no changes from 1935 to 2004. Mesic PPF, the core subtype of PPF, had increased densities of total trees, ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), and white fir (Abies concolor) in the 10-29.9 cm diameter class from 1935 to 2004 that may have induced decreased densities of larger ponderosa pines and total tree and ponderosa pine basal areas. Moist PPF, which is transitional with mixed conifer forest at high elevation, was the most dynamic PPF subtype with decreases from 1935 to 2004 in total density and total basal area that are largely attributable to decreases in quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides). Graphical synthesis of datasets with historical and modern values for density and basal area indicates that overall PPF (all subtypes combined) increased in sapling density of all species combined and conifers with canopy potential and decreased in density of quaking aspen trees since the late 19th century. PPF of GCNP has passed through an accretion phase of forest development with increases in density and, depending on PPF subtype and variable being examined, is at or past the point of inflection to recession of density and basal area. Increases in small diameter ponderosa pine and white fir from 1935 to 2004 portend potential additional accretion, but decreases in total basal area, density and basal area of quaking aspen, basal area of ponderosa pine, and density of larger diameter ponderosa pine indicate PPF has passed the inflection point from accretion to recession. Uncertainties about 19th-century PPF structure and composition and about future ecological and societal environments lead to the conclusion that resource managers of GCNP and other natural areas should consider a change in focus from the objective of achieving desired future conditions to an objective of avoiding undesired future conditions.