EFFECTS OF THERMAL MODIFICATION ON SURFACE CHARACTERISTICS OF OSB PANELS

Abstract

Thermal modification is an effective process to improve dimensional stability of wood and wood composite panels. Wettability of wood based panels is also an important issue and has been affected from heat treatment process. In this study oriented strandboard (OSB) panels were subjected thermal modification process. Wettability and surface roughness properties of the panels were evaluated. The results obtained in this study showed that the thermal modification process improved surface roughness parameters of all the treated panels compared to untreated control panels. The contact angle (CA) values of the treated panels were clearly higher than the untreated panels. The thermally treated panels had a poorer wettability property when compared to the untreated panels. The panels having smoother surface had greater CA values.