Analysis of the properties of particleboard Palm (Washingtonia robusta) and Giant Reed (Arundo donax L.)

This paper aims to study the mechanical properties of the boards formed by particles rachis palm leaf (Washingtonia robusta, H. W.) and stem particles giant reed (Arundo donax L.). The behavior of particle board obtained both with each of these raw materials separately as those obtained with a mixture of 50% of such raw materials will be analyzed. In obtaining the boards analyzed in this paper the common industrial process of making wood particle board continued. Once manufactured, the test specimens required for the characterization of the mechanical and physical characteristics of each of the three types of boards properties under study were prepared. Specifically, for each of these types, the values of MOR, MOE and IB were determined by following the instructions provided in the European and Spanish standard applicable to wood particle boards. After analyzing the resulting values of the different assays, the following conclusions can be drawn: The boards formed by particles of palm reached acceptable values of MOR, very good IB and very low values of MOE. The particle boards designed Arundo donax L. offered very good values of IB, acceptable values of MOE and very low values of MOR. Boards with a 50% mixture of both types of particles were studied in an attempt to find a deficient compensation values offered by each of them separately in terms of MOE ( palm) and MOR ( giant reed). They offered some satisfactory results in this regard, being very similar to those obtained with boards consisting only of palm rachis particles.