Evaluating the flammability performance of Portland cement-bonded particleboards with different cement–wood ratios using a cone calorimeter

Abstract

Although much efforts have been made to investigate the cement-bonded particleboards, effects of cement–wood ratio on the flammability of the cement-bonded particleboards remain unclear. The cement-bonded particleboards based on recycled Chinese fir particles are fabricated in this work and the flammability properties are evaluated using cone calorimetry tests. Results revealed that the time to ignition of the specimens is remarkably prolonged by more than 21 times (from 26 to 548 s) when the cement–wood ratio increases from 0.5 to 2.0. Additionally, the peak heat release rate, average heat release rate, total heat release, and average mass loss rate of the cement-bonded particleboards are noticeably decreased with increasing cement–wood ratios, and the residual mass of the cement-bonded particleboards is increased by 51 %. However, yields of both CO and CO2 are slightly improved with increasing cement–wood ratios because of incomplete combustion. This work provides an insight to understanding the flammability of cement-bonded particleboards.