Thermo-directional movement of wood and wood composites

✍ Scribed by S. Chow

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1994
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 976 KB
• Volume: 28
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0043-7719
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00193327

✦ Synopsis

Thermal movement of wood and wood composites was studied and compared with that of random and oriented phenolic foams. Cell orientation was a dominate factor determining the thermal response of these structures. In dried wood, thermal movement in the direction parallel to the cells (longitudinal) decreased in dimension during heating while the radial and tangential directions expanded under similar heating condition. Oriented foams showed more restraint in thermal movement in the parallel to orientation direction. These findings indicate constraining forces act on the direction parallel to the cells while more flexibility exists in perpendicular directions. Wood element size and orientation and the manufacturing process also influence the thermal response in wood composites. The experimental results also revealed the potential fire hazard of waferboard type of composites.