Effect of Particle Size and Species Composition on the Physical and Impact Properties of Particleboards Made from Gmelina arborea, Khaya senegalensis and Daniellia oliveri
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70882/josrar.2026.v3i5.240Keywords:
Particleboard, Particle size, Species composition, Shatter resistance, Gmelina arboreaAbstract
The study evaluated particleboards made from blends of Gmelina arborea, Khaya senegalensis and Daniellia oliveri at three particle sizes (1.70, 2.36 and 3.35 mm) and three mixing ratios (40:30:30, 50:25:25 and 60:20:20). Sawdust for each species was collected from sawmills within Makurdi, cleansed and sieved. Starch (bio-based adhesive) containing 50% solid content was added to each mixture and poured into 350 mm × 350 mm × 12 mm press to form mats of particleboard which was subjected to hot-pressing at 160 °C and 3.5 N/mm² for 10 minutes. Results show that density values ranged from 0.41 to 0.46 g/cm³ across all treatments with no significant differences (p>0.05), indicating that species ratio and particle size did not significantly influence bulk density. Boards with dominant D. oliveri (60:20:20) recorded the highest shatter indices (63.50 ± 2.86) at finer particle sizes, and shatter resistance between 92.84% and 98.31%, whereas G. arborea rich boards (40:30:30) showed the lowest shatter resistance (27.75 - 55.75%), and K. senegalensis dominant boards (50:25:25) were intermediate at between 67.09 -72.07%. Pearson correlations among particle sizes were very high and positive (r = 0.869 - 0.974), and there was a strong negative correlation between shatter index and shatter resistance (r = - 0.823, p < 0.01), while density showed weak, non significant correlations with both properties (r between -0.081 and - 0.150, p > 0.3). The study concludes that particleboard density stayed consistent across species mixes and particle sizes, driven mainly by manufacturing compaction rather than raw material variations. Higher D. oliveri proportions boosted shatter index and shatter resistance while G. arborea-rich boards showed lowest resistance and K. senegalensis mixes were intermediate.
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