Wood-based composites and panel products

Abstract

Because wood properties vary among species, between trees of the same species, and between pieces from the same tree, solid wood cannot match reconstituted wood in the range of properties that can be controlled in processing. When processing variables are properly selected, the end result can sometimes surpass nature’s best effort. With solid wood, changes in properties are studied at the cellular level. With reconstituted wood materials, changes in properties are studied at the fiber, particle, flake, or veneer level. Properties of such materials can be changed by combining, reorganizing, or stratifying these elements. The basic element for composite wood products may be the fiber, as it is in paper, but it can also be larger wood particles composed of many fibers and varying in size and geometry. These characteristics, along with control of their variations, provide the chief means by which materials can be fabricated with predetermined properties.

Citation

Youngquist, John A. 1999. Wood-based composites and panel products. Wood handbook : wood as an engineering material. Madison, WI : USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, 1999. General technical report FPL ; GTR-113: Pages 10.1-10.31