Abstracto
- The physical and mechanical properties of particleboards manufactured with 3 wood species and UF resin modified with nano-clay were evaluated by ASTM standards. The addition of nano-clay caused no decrease in moisture absorption nor in swelling of particleboards, whereas it did have influence on the density and specific gravity, particularly in particleboards of V. ferruginea and C. alliodora. No evidence colour change in particleboards due to nano-clay treatment. Improvement of MOR and MOE in V. ferruginea particleboards, whereas in C. alliodora only the MOR increased with nano-clay treatments. The compressive and shear strength improved in C. alliodora and V. ferruginea particleboards and shear resistance only for G. arborea particleboards. The tensile strength increased only for V. ferruginea particleboards. The analysis by SEM showed that the nano-clay modified adhesive diffused better to interior V. ferruginea wood cellular structure, creating a transition zone that improvement some mechanical properties at the macro level.