Authors:Daisy Biswas; Samar Kanti Bose
Abstract:Laboratory size (500 mm × 500 mm) cement bonded particleboards (CBPBs) with a thickness of 12 mm and densities 1100 kg/m3 and 1200 kg/m3 were produced using coarse particles and fines of Bambusa balcooa and B. vulgaris, two locally grown bamboo species of Bangladesh. The effects of cold and hot water soaking of the bamboo materials prior to board production (2 days in cold water and 3 h in hot water) and coarse –fines ratio on board properties were examined. CaCl2 was used as an additive to accelerate cement hydration. Bamboo particles needed prior soaking to develop acceptable quality boards. Hot water treated particles (50:50 mixture of coarse and fine and 100% coarse particles) from B. balcooa produced boards with MOR values comparable to standards at 1200 kg/m3. The MOR values for boards from B. vulgaris were well below the minimum specified for the British standards. The average internal bond strengths of the boards met the standard values only at 1200 kg/m3 with 100 per cent fines and 50:50 coarse-fines mixtures in case of B. balcooa, and only for 100 per cent fines incase of B. vulgaris. Hot water treatment reduced both the thickness swelling and water absorption, and the boards from both the species were superior to standards in terms of thickness swelling.
Keywords:Bambusa balcooa; Bambusa vulgaris; cement bonded particleboard; mechanical properties; dimensional st