Mechanical and acoustical properties of particleboards made with date palm branches and vermiculite

The main goal of this study was to determine the performance of particleboards made from date palm branches (DPB, Phoenix dactylifera), as a low-value raw material and expanded vermiculite (VER), as a natural inorganic filler. DPB is underutilized abundant byproduct in southern parts of Iran. For the purpose of evaluation, compositions of DPB and VER at different mixture rates were compared for some properties. Variable parameters were: number of particleboard layers (single- and three-layer), VER size (micro and nano meter), and VER content (0, 10 and 20 wt%). Other parameters such as resin content (10%), hardener content (2%), pressing time (6 min), board density (0.75 g/cm3), press pressure (35 kg/m2) and press temperature (175 °C) were held constant. Physical properties (thickness swelling (TS), water absorption (WA), and sound absorption coefficient (SAC)), and mechanical properties (modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE), and internal bond strength (IB)) of the boards were determined. Based on the findings of this study, all mechanical properties of the boards slightly decreased when the VER content was increased from 0 to 20 wt%. Analysis of data revealed that the mechanical properties were significantly different among the board types. In general, WA and TS increased with the increase of WER content. The presence of nano VER in the particleboards resulted in higher WA and TS. The SACs of composite boards filled with VER increased as the frequency increased. Nano VER and single-layer boards showed higher SACs in frequency range of 800-1250 Hz. Finally, it can be stated that DPB has potential as replacement fibrous material for particleboard manufacturing and indoor applications.