Search Results (74)

Canadian sawmills commonly use chipper-canters to process softwood logs into squared lumber and wood chips for pulp mills. However, the declining demand for newsprint and print paper has led to an oversupply of wood chips, resulting in economic losses and environmental concerns. To address this issue, a strander-canter capable of producing both softwood cants and strands for oriented strand board (OSB) presents a promising alternative. This study evaluates the feasibility of using jack pine strands generated by a novel strander-canter equipped with a cutterhead for OSB strand production. Strands were generated from frozen and unfrozen logs under varying cutting parameters and incorporated in the core layer of the panels. Industrial aspen strands were used for the surface layers. OSB panels were assessed for mechanical and physical properties following the CSA O325:21 standard. Strand size distribution and vertical density profiles were also analyzed. The results indicated that panels made from jack pine strands demonstrated bending and internal bond properties that were either comparable to or superior to those of the control panels. However, including jack pine strands in the core layer increased the thickness swelling of the panels. Full article

The significant waste generated by construction has increased interest in sustainable solutions, including prefabricated interior partition panels. Although different types of alternative panels have been proposed, their performance as interior partitions remains underexplored in systematic comparative studies. To narrow this knowledge gap, this paper presents a comprehensive evaluation and classification of drywall, OSB (Oriented Strand Board), cement–wood, and honeycomb panels, regarding physical, mechanical, microstructural, thermal, acoustic, and combustibility characteristics, in addition to conducting a cost evaluation. The results indicated that the OSB panels exhibited superior results for interior partition applications, showing notable advantages in physical strength, mechanical performance, and thermal insulation, while offering acoustic properties comparable to those of drywall panels. Nevertheless, OSB panels showed lower fire resistance and were associated with the highest cost among the materials analyzed in the present research. Drywall panels, on the other hand, provided the most favorable fire resistance but exhibited the least effective thermal insulation. The findings also indicated that both wood–cement and honeycomb panels require further improvements in their manufacturing processes to meet performance standards suitable for interior partition. Full article

This review examines the potential use of alternative wood raw materials, including fast-growing plantation species, juvenile wood, non-plantation species, and recycled wood, in the production of particleboard (PB) and oriented strand board (OSB). In light of the ongoing challenges faced by the wood-based industry in securing a stable and sustainable supply of raw materials, these alternatives present several advantages, such as cost-effectiveness, greater availability, and reduced reliance on natural forest resources. Fast-growing plantation species and juvenile wood are particularly suited for lightweight applications, while non-plantation species and recycled wood contribute to sustainability goals by lowering environmental impact and promoting resource efficiency. Nonetheless, the successful integration of these materials requires overcoming certain challenges, including variability in their physical and mechanical properties, as well as the need for tailored adhesive systems and processing parameters. This review examines strategies to optimize production processes and enhance the utilization of waste materials while emphasizing the role of alternative raw materials in advancing circular economy principles. The findings highlight the importance of future research to improve material knowledge, technological solutions, and industry practices, thereby supporting the sustainable development of the wood-based materials sector. Full article

The construction sector’s increasing eco-consciousness is driving the need for higher-performance wood-based engineered products from underutilized timber resources, such as small-diameter trees from hazardous fuel treatments of our forests. Strand-based products, including oriented strand board (OSB) and lumber (OSL), are widely used. However, hot-pressing during their manufacturing generates approximately 10% waste, which includes a substantial amount of resinated strands that are landfilled. The huge potential of using strand-based products has led to many studies and growing interest in strand-based three-dimensional sandwich panels that can be used as wall, floor, or roofing panels. As the market grows, understanding the recyclability of these resinated strands becomes crucial. This study investigates the feasibility of using re-resinated waste strands that were collected during lab-scale production of strand-based panels. Results demonstrate significant improvements in dimensional stability, mechanical properties, and fire resistance. Specifically, recycling increased internal bond strength, flexural strength, time to ignition, time to flameout, mass loss, and time to peak heat release rate by 107%, 44%, 58%, 35%, 51%, and 27%, respectively, and helped decrease water absorption and thickness swell by 51% and 58%, respectively. Full article

Wood-based panels (WBPs) have versatile structural applications and are a suitable alternative to plastic panels and metallic materials. They have appropriate strength parameters that provide the required stiffness and strength for furniture products and construction applications. WBPs are usually processed by cutting, milling and drilling. Especially in the furniture industry, the accuracy of processing is crucial for aesthetic reasons. Ensuring the WBP surface’s high quality in the production cycle is associated with the appropriate selection of processing parameters and tools adapted to the specificity of the processed material (properties of wood, glue, type of resin and possible contamination). Therefore, expert assessment of the durability of WBPs is difficult. The interest in the automatic monitoring of cutting tools in sustainable production, according to the concept of Industry 4.0, is constantly growing. The use of flexible automation in the machining of WBPs is related to the provision of tools monitoring the state of tool wear and surface quality. Drilling is the most common machining process that prepares panels for assembly operations and directly affects the surface quality of holes and the aesthetic appearance of products. This paper aimed to synthesize research findings across Medium-Density Fiberboards (MDFs), particleboards and oriented strand boards (OSBs), highlighting the impact of processing parameters and identifying areas for future investigation. This article presents the research trend in the adoption of the new general methodological assumptions that allow one to define both the drill condition and delamination monitoring in the drilling of the most commonly used wood-based boards, i.e., particleboards, MDFs and OSBs. Full article

There is great interest in using bio-based materials to reduce the climate impact of materials. Similarly, there is an increased focus on the circular economy and recycling of materials to increase material efficiency and reduce waste. In the case of wood waste, this provides a cluster of benefits but has led to a high demand for the reclaimed material. This review provides updates on several technologies where wood fibre recycling and products from recycled wood fibre are breaking into new markets, including wood fibre insulation products, wood plastic composites, oriented strand boards, and fibreboards. Emerging technologies, such as the ability to recycle medium-density fibreboards, in addition to the more commonly recycled solid wood or particleboard, will allow for a new set of options within the wood cascading chain. Looking ahead, there are likely to be advances in new composite products, as well as other feedstock materials derived from reclaimed wood, such as nanocellulose, pyrolysis oils, or wood polymers reclaimed from the wood feedstock. This review arose from an investigation into the wood recycling sector in the UK. So, the horizon scanning exercise presented here considers the needs and challenges that may arise, if the volume of recycled wood fibre can be increased, in an already highly active market. Such developments would permit an increase in the manufacture of new-generation long-service-life products to enhance carbon storage, and potentially a shift away from bioenergy generation. Full article

This study is based on a 10-day survey carried out at seven beaches in March 2023 in El Puerto de Santa María municipality (SW Spain). An amount of 5592 items were collected, with a combined weight of 26 kg. Fresh litter, which refers to litter transported to the shore by marine/coastal processes, accounted for 4634 items weighing 23 kg. The remaining 958 items, weighing 3 kg, were identified as litter deposited by beach visitors. The average total litter recorded during the sampling was 0.40 ± 0.07 items m⁻¹ with a density of 1.85 ± 0.69 g m⁻¹. Litter materials were relatively consistent regardless of whether they were stranded by marine processes or discharged by beachgoers. Plastic dominates fresh and deposited litter followed by metal and glass, with minimal contributions of chemicals, organic matter, clothing, rubber, wood, and paper. They were identified 115 items’ categories from the 184 listed in the EU Joint List: 107 for fresh and 75 for deposited litter. Food consumption-related items made up a significant portion of the total debris followed by personal hygiene and care-related and smoking-related litter. The obtained information is very useful to propose sound management actions that have to be especially devoted to raise beach users’ responsibility. Last, in order to have a year-round view of litter characteristics and behavior, further investigations should be carried out during winter, when the number of visitors is very low and waves’ energy is high, and summer, when opposite conditions are recorded. Full article

This study explores the potential of using underutilized materials from agricultural and forestry systems, such as rice husk, wheat straw, and wood strands, in developing corrugated core sandwich panels as a structural building material. By leveraging the unique properties of these biobased materials within a corrugated geometry, the research presents a novel approach to enhancing the structural performance of such underutilized biobased materials. These biobased materials were used in different lengths to consider the manufacturing feasibility of corrugated panels and the effect of fiber length on their structural performance. The average lengths for wood strands and wheat straws were 12–15 cm and 3–7.5 cm, respectively, while rice husks were like particles, about 7 mm long. Due to the high silica content in rice husk and wheat straw, which negatively impacts the bonding performance, polymeric diphenylmethane diisocyanate (pMDI), an effective adhesive for such materials, was used for the fabrication of corrugated panels. Wood strands and phenol formaldehyde (PF) adhesive were used to fabricate flat outer layers. Flat panels were bonded to both sides of the corrugated panels using a polyurethane adhesive to develop corrugated core sandwich panels. Four-point bending tests were conducted to evaluate the panel’s bending stiffness, load-carrying capacity, and failure modes. Results demonstrated that sandwich panels with wood strand corrugated cores exhibited the highest bending stiffness and load-bearing capacity, while those with wheat straw corrugated cores performed similarly. Rice husk corrugated core sandwich panels showed the lowest mechanical performance compared to other sandwich panels. Considering the applications of these sandwich panels as floor, wall, and roof sheathing, all these panels exhibited superior bending performance compared to 11.2 mm- and 17.42 mm-thick commercial OSB (oriented strand board) panels, which are commonly used as building materials. These sandwich structures supported a longer span than commercial OSB panels while satisfying the deflection limit of L/360. The findings suggest the transformative potential of converting renewable yet underutilized materials into an engineered concept, corrugated geometry, leading to the development of high-performance, carbon-negative building materials suitable for flooring and roof applications. Full article

Cellulosic fiber board (CFB) is a lightweight form of sheathing that contains 94% post-consumer recycled materials. The viability of CFB sheathed shear walls as an alternative to Oriented Strand Board (OSB) walls is the focus of this study. A total of 23 walls and 10 connection samples were tested under cyclical loading to determine their overall behavior and capacity. The walls consisted of 2.44 m high by 3.66 m long CFB and OSB sheathed walls with and without openings. The design capacity of each wall was calculated and compared to the experimental results. For the walls with openings, the effects of blocking and strapping on their behavior were also evaluated. It was found that CFB is a viable alternative to OSB; however, some adjustments to the current design values and processes are required as the current procedure results in safety factors that are significantly lower than those for OSB walls. Full article

Board furniture’s performance and scientific design are making it popular. Research on simplifying furniture joints reduces design cycles and costs and improves structural safety. In this article, using a cantilever beam to calculate deflection theoretically simplifies the L-shaped component model and yields a joint elastic modulus formula. Finite element analysis (FEA) confirms the effectiveness of this simplified model by comparing its results with experimental data. In simplified components, the joint elastic modulus increases with length (l₂) and stabilizes at l₂/b ≥ 6 (b is the board’s thickness). The variation pattern of the joint elastic modulus equals that of the stiffness, proving its usefulness in assessing component deformation resistance. Furthermore, the component strength and stiffness are also affected by the screw spacing and connector type. In particular, the connectors type affects bamboo-oriented strand board (BOSB) component performance more than wood-oriented strand board (WOSB). Compared to WOSB, BOSB components have superior strength and stiffness and are more stable. The recommended screw spacing for L-shaped components is 48 mm. BOSB components fixed with two-in-one and metal nuts utilizing threads embedded in the board have better strength and stiffness, while for WOSB components, nylon nuts, and wooden dowel pins are more appropriate for securing. Full article

This study on oriented strand board (OSB) wood doors with veneer as the door leaf aimed to investigate consumers’ preference for visual–tactile elements of OSB. First, we utilized the questionnaire and interview methods to extract specific elements as experimental variables for this study. Then, through subjective evaluation experiments and eye-movement experiments, as well as correlation analyses of the experimental results, we explored the relationship between the slice size, gloss, and color of oriented strand boards and consumers’ visual preferences and summarized the eye-movement indexes that can represent consumers’ aesthetic evaluation of the visual elements of oriented strand boards. Unidirectional haptic experiments analyzed the relationships between the slice size, gloss, and roughness of the oriented strand boards and consumers’ haptic preferences. The results showed that, visually, chip size and surface gloss had little effect on people’s subjective aesthetic evaluations of oriented strand-board wood doors. At the same time, the quantitative mean pupil diameter could represent consumers’ aesthetic evaluations of oriented strand boards. Regarding haptics, the size of the wood chips on the surface of the oriented strand-board specimens did not significantly correlate with participants’ haptic preferences. All participants’ tactile preferences for the unpainted specimens were positively correlated with the fineness of sanding. The visual and tactile effects presented on the surface of an object are essential factors that influence the perception of a material. Oriented strand board (OSB) has excellent advantages in providing a healthy and environmentally friendly living environment, so exploring the visual and tactile perception of OSB from the consumer’s point of view plays a vital role in promoting the use of OSB. The visual–tactile experimental results and the conclusions drawn from the analysis in this study can enable OSB to provide more opinions and potential information from consumers for the design of OSB wooden doors under the premise of conforming to the actual production and meeting the quality standards so that the designed and produced OSB wooden doors can satisfy the users’ preferences based on safety and stability. Full article

In this study, the most effective application method of guayule resin and its effects on termite and fungal decay biological performances of wood strand-based (WSB) panels were explored. Southern yellow pine (Pinus spp. L.) wood strands were mixed with phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin to a target resin content of 5.00% and hot-pressed to manufacture the control WSB panels. For the in-situ process, a guayule resin solution was prepared and sprayed on the wood strands immediately after spraying the PF resin to a target content of 5.00%. For brushing and spraying methods, a sub-set of the control panel specimens were further brushed or sprayed with guayule resin solution on all surfaces. To understand the effects of guayule on durability, specimens cut from control and treated panels were subjected to termite resistance and fungal degradation soil block tests. The in-situ specimens with 5.00% guayule were subjected to tensile, internal bond, water absorption, and thickness swelling tests to find out whether guayule affects the mechanical performance of WSB panels. The results showed that in-situ treatment resulted in a significant reduction in the mechanical properties of wood stand-based panels. The sprayed technique resulted in more durable panels, as the mass loss was 2.21% for termites and 3.24% for fungi specimens, which decreased by 76.66% and 80.86%, respectively, when compared to the WSB controls. Full article

This comprehensive review is devoted to an under-exploited family of phenolic compounds, the coumarins, and the most relevant strands in which they are involved in some spirit beverages—wine spirit, brandy, whiskey, sugar-cane spirits (rum and cachaça) and grape marc spirit—with great importance worldwide in terms of production, trade and consumption. It gathers the key discoveries on the topic, considering the production process of each spirit beverage, and the related sources of coumarins (different kinds of wood used in the ageing stage), along with the factors that govern them and can influence the sensory properties of the aged beverages. An overview of the analytical methods available for their identification/quantification is also included, as well as the corresponding trends for the advancement of knowledge in this field. Moreover, the remarkable role of coumarins as nutraceuticals, their importance as chemical markers for authenticity purposes, and their relationship with the food safety of these spirit beverages are also addressed, highlighting the current gaps and issues, and providing clues for future research. Full article

Surface-checking is a significant quality issue of veneer and sliced lamellae-based wood products. This study explores how surface-checking in sliced lamellae-based engineered wood Flooring (EWF) is influenced by two key structure parameters: core type and top-layer thickness. The core types assessed were a standard solid wood lamellae with a veneer back-end layer (S), a standard solid wood lamellae core with veneer back-end layers on the two sides (DS), and a single-layer oriented strand board (OS) core. The EWF element’s top-layer lamellae were plain sliced at nominal dimensions of 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, and 4.5 mm from freshly sawn slabs of European oak (Quercus spp.). The surface-checking of EWF specimens was quantified based on a digital image correlation (DIC) method, which outputs a surface-checking index. The surface-checking results were evaluated using a Tweedie compound Poisson data distribution to fit a general linear model. The model evaluated the impact of individual factors, sliced lamellae thickness and core type, and their interaction. The checking index confidence intervals were estimated using a bootstrapping technique. Findings reveal a significant interaction between studied factors and provide insight into optimizing top-layer thickness and core construction to diminish surface-checking. A low sliced lamella thickness on standard solid wood lamellae core resulted in low surface-checking, deemed relevant for further research. Full article

The objective of this study was to evaluate the composition of OSB panels created using the Amazonian species Caryocar villosum Aubl., Erisma uncinatum Warm., and Hymenolobium excelsum Ducke. The OSB was produced using a phenol–formaldehyde adhesive at a ratio of 30:40:30 for each layer. Different mixtures of Amazonian wood and Pinus caribaea var. caribaea. were tested. Physical (water absorption and thickness swelling after 2 and 24 h of immersion in water and non-return rate in thickness) and mechanical (internal bond and parallel and perpendicular static bending) tests were performed. The OSB panels composed of wood mixtures absorbed less water after 2 and 24 h of immersion when compared to the OSB produced using pine wood. After 24 h of immersion in water, the T3 panel (40% Pinus caribaea + 40% Hymenolobium excelsum + 20% Caryocar villosum) presented the lowest absorption value. In terms of swelling in thickness at 2 h and 24 h, the panel composed of 100% pine strands showed the highest swelling value, while the T3 treatment exhibited the lowest swelling value at 2 and 24 h, as well as for the rate of non-return in thickness. Regarding mechanical properties, we observed that all panels exhibited similar resistance for both parallel and perpendicular Modulus of Rupture, as well as parallel and perpendicular Modulus of Elasticity, except for the internal bond, where T3 demonstrated the highest resistance. Additionally, some OSB panels met the requirements of the EN 300 standard for OSB panels. Full article