2 ACCELERATED-AGING TESTS FOR WOOD-BASED PANELS

Two simplified accelerated-aging exposures were evaluated as possible alternatives to the current six-cycle test in ASTM D 1037. The exposures consisted of four cycles of alternate hot-water soaking and ovendrying. For oriented strandboard, flakeboard, and particleboard, bending properties and residual thickness swelling after either exposure were similar to those after the standard six-cycle test. For hardboard, the alternative exposures had considerably less of an effect on properties because much less water was adsorbed compared to that in the standard exposure. which includes steaming. Supplemental tests showed that hardboard had adequate water adsorption during vacuum-pressure soak in room-temperature water. Further tests using the vacuum-pressure-soak exposure as a replacement for steaming will be conducted.