2011 IEEE Symposium on Business, Engineering and Industrial Applications (ISBEIA), Langkawi, Malaysia
Physical Properties of Particleboard Exposed to the Kitchen Environment in Selected Areas of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor * Falah Abu and ** Mansur Ahmad Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi MARA, UiTM Shah Alam, Malaysia *
[email protected] **
[email protected] Particleboard is a wood engineering product consists of wood particles. Moisture is always present in the wood particle. It will enter and leave the wood particle when there is a change in relative humidity. There is no certain method for keeping moisture out of wood even for wood-based laminating products [3],[4]. Furthermore, there will be large hygroscopic thickness swelling at higher temperature or at lower RH [5]. The importance of change in temperature and relative humidity are because these bioengineering products consist of wood particle that is hygroscopic. Hygroscopic is the ability of the wood to gain and loss moisture. Previous study have suggested particleboard application that should meet its final application. It is said that 7%-9% is suitable for buildings with a continuous central heating while 15% onwards should be reasonable for an unheated building. 9%12% is suitable for buildings with intermittent central heating and building intended for human occupancy [4], [6].
Abstract—Kitchen cabinet main material, particleboard has shown some problems in quality during installation. The physical properties of the particleboard panel were tested for its moisture content, density and dimensional changes. In collaboration with Signature Kitchen Sdn. Bhd., twenty-eight (28) houses in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor were selected for the assessment. Six particleboard panels chose randomly from the twenty-eight sites were cut into specific dimension and exposed to the air-conditioned room environment (20°C and 65% RH) and on-site condition (31.3°C and 72% RH). Overall, moisture content was 7.73%, which is 40% lower than the maximum requirement and the density of the panel was 14% higher than the standard requirement. Meanwhile, the dimensional changes in thickness were 81% higher than length. In length, the mean changes was just 0.07 mm compared to the thickness, 0.36 mm. Therefore, all panels collected and tested have met the moisture content, density and dimensional changes specifications under the testing procedures defined by European Union (EN) standard BS EN 312:2003.
The assessment was done at twenty-eight sites of kitchen cabinet installation around Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. It covers Damansara, Shah Alam, Petaling Jaya, Subang, Bangsar, Sungai Buloh and Taman Tun Dr Ismail. The average warehouse condition was 29.5 °C and 76 % in RH. The mean site condition during delivery, installation and completion of kitchen cabinet installation was 31.3 °C in temperature and 72% in relative humidity. This condition was labelled as on-site condition.
Keywords-component; formatting; moisture content; relative humidity; particleboard
I.
INTRODUCTION
Particleboard has replaced plywood in constructing kitchen cabinet. It is because particleboards are more stable and uniformly consistent materials [1]. However, kitchen manufacturers are facing with customers complain on the material quality. The problem was, the panel surface and edge tends to swell, chip-off, crack or combination of one of the damages. There are concern among kitchen manufacturers that particleboard supplier’s provide a low quality product. During movement of material from the manufacturer to customer, the particleboard had undergone different condition especially changes in temperature, relative humidity or exposed to rain and hot climate. Two factors that influence wood moisture content are temperature and relative humidity. Temperature is the measurement of heat intensity either degree of hotness or coldness meanwhile relative humidity is the amount of water pressure expressed in a percentage of the saturation vapor pressure [2].
This research could improve the understanding of Malaysian kitchen cabinet manufacturer of their product quality. The physical properties of particleboard panel were tested for the moisture content, density and dimensional changes in relative humidity. The testing was conducted at University Teknologi MARA (UiTM Shah Alam) biocomposite laboratory. The storage and panel cutting was made at the factory and warehouse. Six particleboard panels choose randomly from the twenty-eight sites were cut into specific dimension according to BS EN325 [7] and EN3261[8]. Each panel were marked as board A,B,C,D,E and F.
All materials sponsored by Signature Kitchen Sdn Bhd and funded under Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) DANA KECEMERLANGAN research grant 600-IRDC/ST/DANA 5/3/DST (21/2010).
978-1-4577-1549-5/11/$26.00 ©2011 IEEE
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II.
MATERIALS
constant mass. The mass sample should be constant by less than 0.1% in two successive weighing operations on subsequent days (24-hour interval).
A. Particleboard – Kitchen Carcass Local particleboard manufacturer supplied the material to Signature Kitchen Malaysia. A nominal dimensions of 1830mm x 2440mm board was delivered to Signature Kitchen before cutting into specific module sizes. Some of the panels were ready-made in standardize size while others were cut due to customer order. The particleboard were used for the carcass, door, side panel and other kitchen cabinet parts. The particleboard supplied was a melamine-coated particleboard on the wide faces only. Particleboard can be fixed either vertical or horizontal directions because of its sensitivity to the abrasion and scratch [9],[10],[11],[12]. All panel and sample were produced by the industry according to EN 312. In general, the particleboard panel used was from P2 type board. A P2 type is made for interior fitments (including furniture) and use for dry conditions only. The minimum requirements for bending strength (EN 310) were 13 N/mm², modulus of elasticity in bending (EN 310) were 1600 N/mm², internal bond EN319 were 0.35 N/mm² and moisture content at the time of testing (EN322) were 5% 13%. The panels collected from Signature Kitchen stockpile were 16mm in thickness and 700 kg/m³ in density (EN 323). Six samples in 610mm x 610mm dimension was cut before been tagged and stored before one delivered to customer.
C. Dimensional Changes Determination of change in dimension of the particleboard panel was done according to EN 318 [15]. A minimum of four samples were cut from each panel according to EN326-1[8]. Testing samples were only covered by melamine on the wide surface not at the edge surface. It was then exposed to the air-conditioned room environment (20°C and 65% RH) until it reached constant mass before simulating it to on-site condition (31.3°C and 72% RH) also until it reached constant mass. The mass of sample should be constant by less than 0.1% in two successive weighing operations on subsequent days (24hour interval). Length and thickness of the particleboard panel at air-conditioned room and on-site condition environment were measured. The result supposedly expressed in a positive value (+%) due to increasing in weight, thickness and length of the sample, while it was expressed in negative value (-%) when decreasing in weight, thickness and length. All positive and negative results were ignored when calculating the mean, standard deviation and error-bar. IV. RESULT AND DISCUSSION
III. METHODS AND TESTING
A. Moisture Content The MC of sample in air-conditioned room needed 120 hours to achieved the intended condition. Meanwhile, 24 hours needed to oven-dried and 30 hours needed to air-dry before those sample become constant. Moisture contents requirements for the P2 type particleboards was 5% to 13% based on EN 312 which is corresponding to the temperature of 20 °C and relative humidity 65% [16].
A. Moisture Content The MC of wood was derived from the percentage of its oven-dry weight. Moisture content percentage was gained from subtracting air-dried with oven-dried, divided with mass of oven-dried times hundred [1]. Determination of moisture content of the particleboard panel was done according to EN 322 [13]. Minimum four numbers of samples were cut from each panel (EN326-1). Testing sample were only covered on melamine on the wide surface not at the edge surface. It was then weighted to a minimum 20 gram, as the shape and size were not important. Then it was exposed to the air-conditioned room environment (20°C and 65% RH) until it reached constant mass before placing in drying oven. The temperature of the drying oven was set to 103±2 °C until it reached to a constant mass at an interval of six hours and recorded as oven-dried mass. The sample is then cooled to the air-conditioned room environment, weighed to a constant mass, and recorded as air-dried mass.
The MC mean value of each panel and standard deviation within panels are showed in the table. Overall, grand mean was 7.73% with 0.16 standard deviation and 0.03 error bar. Therefore, the mean of the moisture content obtained was 40% lower than the maximum requirement. The allowable moisture content for the particleboard was at the range of minimum 5% to maximum 13%. Results of 7.73% are enough to meet with the American Standard and Data sheet 2 [4], which states that average MC should not exceed 10% during the time of shipment from the manufacture [17]. From the result, moisture content of the particleboard was not affected by the condition of kitchen area in Malaysia even after subjected to various conditions during manufacturing, storage and handling. There should be no physical damages when increase and decrease of the length, width and thickness. It is because the particleboard MC is still within the standard requirement [6]. Hence, condition of the panel started from the process handling by supplier, manufacturer and finally to customer of Signature Kitchen Malaysia.
B. Density Determination of density of particleboard panel was done according to EN 323 [14]. A minimum of five samples were cut from each panel according to EN326-1 [8]. All thirty samples were covered by melamine on the wide surface but not at the edge surface. It was then exposed to airconditioned room environment (20°C and 65% RH) until it reached constant mass before simulating it to on-site condition (31.3°C and 72% RH) also until it reached
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TABLE I. Board
A B C D E F
RESULT OF MOISTURE CONTENT
Mean (kg/m³)
7.81 7.85 7.83 7.48 7.77 7.64
TABLE II.
Std Dev
Bar Errors
Board
0.09 0.08 0.06 0.18 0.07 0.08
0.05 0.04 0.03 0.09 0.03 0.04
A B C D E F
B. Density All measurement were done after exposing the sample in on-site condition. 120 hours was required to stabilize the sample during conditioning it in an air-conditioned environment. Then, it takes 240 hours exposure in on-site conditioning for the sample to become constant. Density requirements for the P2 type particleboards were 700±20 kg/m³ based on EN 312 [16]. The mean value of each panel and standard deviation within panels is shown the Table II. Overall, grand mean was 817 kg/m³ with 0.009 standard deviation and 0.002 error bar. All samples within the board have met the standard requirement.
Thickness(mm)
A B C D E F
0.37 0.46 0.54 0.32 0.25 0.24
0.814 0.816 0.818 0.821 0.818 0.815
Std Dev
Bar Errors
0.005 0.010 0.011 0.009 0.007 0.013
0.002 0.005 0.005 0.004 0.003 0.006
The changes in thickness were 81% high than length. Particleboard will respond even in 1% change in moisture content and relative humidity. It will change the board dimension by increasing or decreasing the length, width and thickness of the particleboard panel. The high change in dimension reacting to the on-site condition in Malaysia could be a setback to the kitchen cabinet manufacturer. When cut, scratched, chip-off or other damages on the face and edge surface during kitchen cabinet installation, it would swell or warps to particleboard surface especially when the relative humidity increased in the environment [3],[21]. Even though there were wax emulsion in the bonding adhesive, the particleboard edges or exposed area are liable to moisture penetration [4],[6],[21]. Therefore, particleboard should be conditioned to equilibrium with its environment condition before being fixed as kitchen compartment.
RESULT OF DIMENSIONAL CHANGES
Mean
Board
Mean (g/cm³)
C. Dimensional Changes The mean value and standard deviation within panels showed in Table III. Overall, changes in thickness are greater than length. In thickness, the mean changes was 0.36 mm with 0.19 standard deviation and 0.04 error bar. The maximum change in thickness was 1.08 mm and minimum change was 0.02 mm. Only one sample among 24 samples changes in thickness more than 0.5 mm. In contrast, the mean change in length was just 0.07 mm with 0.09 standard deviations and 0.02 error-bars. Moreover, the maximum change was 0.46 mm and minimum change was 0.02 mm. There were four samples that exceeded the 0.1 mm in length, except only one in contra which decreasing to 0.46 mm in length.
The target density for the P2 type particleboard supplied by the market was 700±20 kg/m³. From the result, the density of the panel was 14% higher than the standard requirement. It is possibly due to additional weight presence from laminated surface on both panel face surfaces. A highdensity particleboard has a low porosity, more compact and tighter structure of particles resulting in high performance of screw withdrawal and other mechanical properties but it was diversely according to Jonathan C.Gates [1],[18],[19], [20].
TABLE III.
RESULT OF DENSITY
Standard Deviation Length(mm)
Thickness
0.07 0.04 0.06 0.03 0.19 0.05
0.04 0.10 0.37 0.06 0.07 0.16
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Length
0.07 0.02 0.05 0.01 0.19 0.00
Error Bar Thickness
Length
0.02 0.05 0.18 0.03 0.03 0.08
0.04 0.01 0.02 0.00 0.10 0.00
V. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, the panels supplied by local supplier were excellent in physical properties. The particleboards panel moisture content is still within the allowable range even though it has undergone various conditions especially during delivery and storage. The density of the particleboard used for kitchen cabinet compartments also has met the standard specifications. Exposing the particleboard to airconditioned and non air-conditioned situation have affected the dimensional changes of the particleboard. Therefore, any damages on the face and edges surfaces of the particleboard should be avoided. A replacement to any damaged particleboard should be done to maintain the product quality especially when the final usage of the particleboard panel was for high and dry condition of household in the Klang valley area.
[6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
[11]
[12] [13]
ACKNOWLEDGMENT The authors would like to thank Signature Kitchen Sdn Bhd, Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam for sponsoring and funding the project.
[14] [15] [16]
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