A Half-yearly Peer Reviewed Journal of Bangladesh Forest Research Institute
This experiment was conducted to evaluate the suitability of medium density fiberboard (MDF) made from hybrid Acacia wood fiber as raw material and urea formaldehyde (UF) as resin binder. Single layer fiberboards were fabricated by five different densities e.g. 700, 725, 750, 775 and 800 kg/m3 using hybrid Acacia wood fiber. Mechanical and physical properties including modulus of rupture (MOR), internal bond strength (IB), thickness swelling (TS) and water absorption (WA) of the fiberboards were tested according to the Indian Standard (IS 2380:1977). The results of the physical and mechanical properties of the fiber boards were compared with Indian Standard (I 12406: 2003), Euro Standard (D-6300, 1990) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) MDF standard (A208.2, 1994). The results showed that the 800 kg/m3 density fiberboards made from hybrid Acacia wood had the best MOR value and maximum IB strength characteristics among the others. For 800 kg/m3 density fiberboards the MOR value was above the Indian & ANSI Standard but lower than the Euro Standard; and the IB strength value was above the Indian, Euro & ANSI Standard specifications. Water absorption and thickness swelling properties were used to determine the water resistance of the fiberboards.