Repeated humidity cycling’s effect on physical properties of three kinds of wood-based panels

Abstract

Physical proprieties of particleboard, medium-density fiberboard, and wood-plastic composite board were studied by measuring the thickness and weight changes during repeated humidity cycling (RHC). The thickness stability, moisture absorbing capacity, and internal band strength of the control and treated specimens were measured for the three tested materials. The wood-plastic composite board showed the greatest stability, with only small changes in thickness and weight. Temperature is a key component of RHC treatment, with greater thickness changes after six cycles at 50 °C than after nine cycles at 20 °C. Compared with the control materials, the thickness stability of RHC-treated materials was decreased by 23.7 to 31.8%; RHC decreased the internal bond strength of specimens 22 to 23% for particleboard and medium-density fiberboard and 2.15% for wood-plastic composite board. Overall, thickness stability and internal bonding strength of the tested materials were highly correlated.