Research on the Effects of Roughness on the Tactile Properties of Rice Straw Particleboard Surface

Abstract

To explore the effects of roughness on the tactile properties of rice straw particleboard (RSP), the surface roughness and psychological tactile and visual experiments were conducted for RSP substrates with 0.76 g/cm3 and 0.55 g/cm3 densities after sanding with sandpaper (mesh 180#, 360#, and 600#). The effects of different sandpaper types, sanding time, and density of RSP on the surface roughness were analyzed. The experimental results are as follows. The sanding treatment had significant influence on the surface roughness characterization parameters Ra and Rpv of the RSP specimens. Surface roughness differences between the 180# and 360# mesh-prepared samples were obvious. The tactile and visual psychological values of the 360# and 600# mesh-sanded specimens were higher, and the psychological quantities of untreated and 180# mesh-sanded specimens were lower. After comparing the samples with sanding treatment of sandpaper 0∼180#, the change in surface roughness of RSP with a density of 0.76 g/cm3 was smaller than that of the specimen with a density of 0.55 g/cm3. The psychological quantity difference of RSP specimens with a density of 0.55 g/cm3 was evident. When the sanding time was 1 min., the values of the roughness characterization parameters Ra and Rpv increased slightly. After 3 min. sanding, the Ra and Rpv values stabilized. When the sanding time was 5 min, the roughness was essentially unchanged. With the change in sanding time, the measured values of the tactile psychological quantity varied greatly and the measured values of the visual psychology were very close. For the RSP substrates with higher density, the surface roughness was less after sanding with a smoother surface and better tactile properties. There were significant differences between the surface roughness of the RSPs before and after sanding. After manual sanding over the same time span, the surface roughness evaluation parameter values decreased with an increase of mesh size of the sandpaper, and the tactile properties were improved. The longer the sanding time, the smaller the difference in the surface roughness parameter values, and the smaller the difference between the tactile psychological quantity and the visual psychological quantity. To expand the research scope of RSP products, this study investigates not only the physical and chemical properties but also the subjective feelings when using the RSP products. This will provide analytical methods and design guidelines for the consideration of environmental factors in furniture and interior design.