Surface decorated cement-bonded particleboards from wood residues: An integrated performance evaluation

Abstract

The disadvantages of cement-bonded particleboards (CBPBs) such as dark colour, bad surface roughness and low comfort performance severely limited their application in architectural interior decoration. Here, polyurethane (PU) and Birch veneer were applied to fabricate surface decorated CBPBs for further enhancing their decoration performances. PU- and Birch veneer-decorated CBPBs were successfully produced with graceful appearances. The mechanical property, thermal conductivity, and flame-retardant performances of surface decorated CBPBs were investigated. Results revealed that the veneer-decorated CBPBs exhibited higher modulus of rupture (MOR) and modulus of elasticity (MOE) than the Original CBPBs, whereas the PU-decorated CBPBs did not demonstrate any improvement in these properties. Moreover, the surface decorated CBPBs displayed superior thermal insulation performances in comparison to the Original CBPBs with the lowest thermal conductivity being ∼0.1 W·m−1·K−1. The cone calorimeter test indicated that the flame retardancy of CBPBs would decrease after surface decoration due to the inherent flammability of PU and Birch veneer, but the combustion could remain confined to the surface layer. The cement-wood ratio exerts a noteworthy influence on the thickness swelling (TS), MOR and MOE of Veneer-decorated CBPBs. As the ratio elevated from 1.0 to 2.0, a substantial reduction in TS was observed, concomitant with a notable increase in both MOR and MOE. Overall, this study presented a simple and practical approach for the utilization of CBPBs as architectural interior decoration with higher mechanical properties and lower thermal conductivity.