Effects of Particle Sizes, Wood to Cement Ratio and Chemical Additives on the Properties of Sesendok (Endospermum Diadenum) Cement-bonded Particleboard

Abstract

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^-3. The effect of particle size, wood to cement ratio and the addition of sodium silicate and aluminium silicate on the wood cement board properties has been evaluated. A change of particle 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 of rupture (MOR) by 11% and the addition of sodium silicate improves values further by about 28% compared to the addition of aluminium silicate. The modulus of elasticity (MOE) in general increases with increasing cement content but is not significantly affected by the addition of sodium silicate or aluminium silicate, although the addition of their mixture (sodium silicate and aluminium silicate) consistently yields greater MOE values. Water absorption and thickness swelling is significantly affected by the inclusion of additives and better values are attained using higher wood to cement ratios.