An Apparatus for the Quantitative Measurement of Surface Strength of Particleboard

The device may be used with any standard recording tensile testing machine and consists essentially of a probe that is inserted to a controlled depth into the face of a board. The board is then drawn across the probe so that a scratch or furrow is gouged out of the surface. The work expended is determined by integrating the recorded load on the load cell over a standard length of scratch. A wide range of geometries for the probe is possible, and the optimum design for the probe depends largely on the type of wood flake or chips being used in the board under study. Three different probes were studied, cylindrical probe was found to give the most reproducible results and the best measure of strength required to dislodge the chips. The tester was able to detect the effects of precure and overcuring resin in boards. It also evaluated catalysts for urea-formaldehyde resins as they affect particleboards. Test data confirmed that bottom surfaces of particleboards are weaker than top surfaces.

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