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 exposur es consisted of four cycles of alternate hot-water soaking and ovendry ing. 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 propertie s because much less water was adsorbed compared to that in the standar d exposure. which includes steaming. Supplemental tests showed that ha rdboard had adequate water adsorption during vacuum-pressure soak in r oom-temperature water. Further tests using the vacuum-pressure-soak ex posure as a replacement for steaming will be conducted.