Improvement of flexural properties and dimensional stability of rice husk particleboard using wood strand from (azadirachta excelsa) in face layer / Muhamad Zahir Nazri

• Main Author: Nazri, Muhamad Zahir
• Format: Student Project
• Language: English
• Published: Faculty of Applied Sciences 2017
• Subjects: Furniture industry and trade; Plant anatomy; Botanical chemistry. Phytochemicals
• Online Access: http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/22762/1/PPb_MUHAMAD%20ZAHIR%20NAZRI%20AS%20C%2017_5.PDF; http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/22762/

Improvement of flexural properties and dimensional stability of rice husk particleboard is targeted in this study. Five ratios of Azadirachta excelsa (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40%) at face layer were tested. Further work was done with 40% Azadirachta excelsa content with random and aligned arrangement. The results showed significant (p ≤ 0.05) improvement in flexural strength (MOR and MOE) as the face layer percentage increases. The dimensional stability (water absorption and thickness swelling) with 40% give the best performance. Arrangement of strength has no significant effect. Overall there is potential to improve the flexural and dimensional stability with variation of strands at face layer.