Effects of particle sizes, wood to cement ratio and chemical additives on the properties of sesendok (Endospermum Diadenum) cement-bonded particleboard / Jamaludin Kasim ... [et al.]

An experimental investigation was performed to evaluate the properties of
cement-bonded particleboard made from Sesendok wood. The target board
density was set at a standard 1200 kg m". The effect offarticle size, wood to
cement ratio and the addition ofsodium silicate and aluminium silicate on the
wood cement board properties has been evaluated. A change ofparticle size
from 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm has a significant effect on the mechanical properties,
however the physical properties deteriorate. Increasing the wood to cement
ratio from 1:2.25 to 1:3 decreases the modulus ofrupture (MOR) by 11% and
the addition ofsodium silicate improves valuesfurther by about 28% compared
to the addition ofaluminum silicate. The modulus ofelasticity (MOE) in general
increases with increasing cement content, but is not significantly affected by
the addition ofsodium silicate or aluminium silicate, although the addition of
their mixture (sodium silicate andaluminium silicate) consistentlyyields greater
MOE values. Water absorption and thickness swelling is significantly affected
by the inclusion ofadditives and better values are attained using higher wood
to cement ratios.