Blowout conditions and properties of isocyanate resin bonded particleboard manufactured from high-moisture particles using an air-injection press

Blowouts of particleboards were artificially induced by increasing the vapor pressure inside the boards. Isocyanate resin bonded boards were manufactured from high-moisture particles, and the blowouts and board properties were analyzed. Boards with a high resin content of 5 % showed high bonding strength and did not blow out when pressed at 190 °C, but blew out at a raised temperature of 210 °C to increase vapor pressure inside the boards, thereby showing that blowout occurred when vapor pressure inside the boards exceeded the bonding strength of isocyanate resin. Boards with a low resin content of 2.5 % had low bonding strength and blew out when manufactured without air injection, but were successfully manufactured with air injection that prevents blowouts. However, the injection of high-pressure air reduced the strength properties of the board and increased the coefficient of variation, likely due to the discharge of isocyanate resin from the boards. Therefore, very small local blowouts occurred inside the boards, which lowered the strength properties of some specimens and led to a large coefficient of variation. When the pressure of injected air was lowered, the strength properties increased and the coefficient of variation decreased. This was possibly because the low-pressure air allowed isocyanate resin to remain in the boards, resulting in virtually no parts showing very low-strength properties.