Effect of Wood-Fiber Characteristics on Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) Performance

Four different sources of wood-fibers from Eucalyptus, Italian poplar, hemlock, and mixed species fibers were used to study the influence of their fiber characteristics on the performance of medium density fiberboard (MDF) panels bonded with both urea-formaldehyde (UF) and phenol-formaldehyde (PF) adhesives. Included fiber characteristics were fiber length, size distribution, bulk density, and acidity. Physical and mechanical properties of MDF panels manufactured by dry process using these different fibers were determined for the comparison of board performance. Two hardwood species had a large fraction of short fibers resulting in a higher bulk density while very long hemlock fibers had lower bulk density. Fiber acidity was revealed to strongly affect the internal bond (IB) strength of MDF panels bonded with UF resins. MDF panels made from mixed species fibers showed highest IB strength of all panels prepared. UF-bonded MDF panels showed poor dimensional stability. In conclusion, the present study showed that wood-fiber characteristics such as fiber length, bulk density, and acidity affect the performance of MDF boards, and also suggested that fiber characteristics be considered for MDF panel manufacture.