Evaluation of particleboard deterioration under outdoor exposure using several different types of weathering intensity

The deterioration of particleboards for construction use was investigated by outdoor exposure tests at eight sites in Japan over 7 years. Two types of particleboard with different water resistances were tested and the deterioration of mechanical properties such as modulus of rupture, internal bond strength and lateral nail resistance was investigated. In order to eliminate regional differences in the board deterioration and also to standardize a deterioration factor for the board exposed to varying climate conditions, we introduced the weathering intensity (WI) defined by monthly precipitation multiplied by monthly average temperature. The significance of this factor was investigated by correlation analysis. Three conventional climate indexes relevant to the durability of wood were also investigated to analyze their significance to WI for particleboard deterioration. It was found that our definition of weathering intensity was the most accurate and the exposure period that reduces initial bending strength by half was calculated by the use of regression analysis for several different sites worldwide.