Comparison of selected physical and mechanical properties of red maple (Acer rubrum L.) and aspen (Populus grandidentata Michx.) flakeboard

Abstract

Wood from red maple (Acer rubrum L.) and aspen (Populus grandidentata Michx.) was processed and fabricated into flakeboards with a target density of 50 Ib/ft3.The data collected sewed as a basis for evaluating red maple as a potential raw material for flakeboard.Within the study parameters, random and aligned flake orientations were compared for both species.Moisture content, density, and flake alignment measurements revealed within-and between-board uniformity.Red maple flakeboards equaled or exceeded the performance of aspen flakeboards in static bending, internal bond, and nail withdrawal tests.In addition, red maple flakeboards containing randomly oriented flakes required higher loads to failure in nail withdrawal and internal bond tests compared to mechanically aligned flakes.Dimensional stability data of the flakeboards were obtained by measuring thickness swell, water absorption, and linear expansion.For both the random and aligned boards, the measured values indicated no substantial difference between the aspen and red maple specimens.In addition, mechanical alignment of the flakes improved some of the properties of the flakeboards compared to the randomly oriented flakeboards.