RESEARCH ARTICLE

Journal of Oil Palm Research Vol. 14 No. 1, June 2002, p. 35-44

MICROSTRUCTURE OF MEDIUM DENSITY FIBREBOARD FROM OIL PALM EMPTY FRUIT BUNCH FIBRE

RIDZUAN Ramli* ; SHALER, Stephen** ; MOHD ARIFF Jamaludin+

ABSTRACT

Using sequentially acquired 2-D images of microtome sections via a light microscope, 3-D models of the microstructure of commercial and laboratory produced medium density fibreboards (MDF) were constructed. To assess the accuracy of the 3-D models, they were analysed for their ratios of inter-fibre void using an image analysis technique. The study indicated that it was feasible to use this technique to determine the variation in inter-fibre void ratio at different depths in the MDF. The ratio of void area varied significantly in a gradient from the top/bottom of the boards to the core (middle). However, in the other directions (along the length and breadth), there were no significant differences in the void ratio. The ratio of void area within each panel was negatively related to the density

KEYWORDS:


* Malaysian Palm Oil Board, P.O. Box 10620,
50720 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

** Faculty of Wood Science, University of Maine, Orono, USA.

+ Faculty of Forestry, Universiti Putra Malaysia,
43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.