The concept of building an energy-efficient, durable and environmentally friendly home has been actively developed for several decades. Today, there are a number of well-established and tested technologies by the real estate market that reveal this idea. One of the most promising ideas involves the construction using fiberboard as the main structural material.
Manufacturing technology
The basis for the production of raw materials is wood chips. Natural fibers that have undergone mechanical processing on cutting machines form the structure of the plate. Moreover, not shortened small chips are used, namely long narrow lamellas, which distinguishes this material from wood-based analogs like chipboard and fiberboard. Also, the standard technology for the production of fiberboard slabs involves the use of a binder component - usually inorganic. More often the panel structure is strengthened by Portland cement, but magnesia adhesive solutions can also be used.
Narrow wood tapes are immediately mineralized after cutting with mixtures of water glass or calcium chloride, and then immersed in an emulsion based on cement and water. In this still malleable condition for molding, the blanks for plates are compressed under a press of 0.5 MPa. At the final stage of manufacturing, they are placed in steaming chambers for gaining strength. Further processing may follow, giving the material one or another quality.
Operational properties
Thanks to various special additives, as well as changing the parameters of drying and crimping, it is possible to obtain material with a certain set of technical and operational qualities. At a basic level, fiberboard is endowed with the following properties:
- Ecological cleanliness. Despite the use of synthetic components as a binder, at all stages of application, the fiberboard does not emit harmful and hazardous substances.
- Durability. It is believed that wood-based materials, in principle, do not have sufficient strength to be used in capital construction. Nevertheless, cement additives and thought-out special formulations of the adhesive component increase the operational life of the slab to the level of reinforced concrete.
- Fire resistance. The material is low-combustible and non-burning. For some versions, smoke generation is also minimized.
- Biological security. Unlike many other panels with a natural base, fiberboard is not subjected to destruction processes from mold, fungi, insects, etc.
Fiberboard as an insulating material
The plates are optimally suited for use as a heater and a noise-absorbing layer. The insulating effect is achieved due to the minimum pore content in the structure. Even over time, the plate does not lose these properties, maintaining the shape and integrity of the protective base. In particular, fiberboard does not clump, do not settle, do not cake, and the entire operational period maintains an effective thermal insulation barrier. The same applies to soundproofing qualities. The material absorbs noise waves due to the multilayer fibrous structure with different density levels. As you progress through these layers, the sound is completely eliminated.
The weakest part in terms of insulation protection is the inability to withstand abundant water flows. With light wetting, the sheets dry quickly and regenerate, but direct and long-term contact with the liquid can lead to destruction of the structure.
Plate Characteristics
The material is available in different formats, which differ in operational and technical and physical parameters. For example, the standard dimensions of fiberboard in accordance with GOST vary within the following limits: in length from 240 to 300 cm, in thickness - from 3 to 15 cm, and in width - from 50 to 120 cm. During operation, “performance” characteristics will be important material that look like this:
- Density - from 300 to 1050 kg / m3.
- Humidity - coefficient from 12 to 17%.
- Daily water absorption - coefficient from 40 to 50%.
- Thermal conductivity - from 0.06 to 0.17 W / (m * K).
- Compressive strength - from 0.15 to 15 MPa.
- Bending strength - from 0.2 to 12 MPa.
- The elastic modulus is from 300 to 2000 MPa.
- The hardness of the structure is from 10 to 40 MPa.
Wide ranges of technical and physical indicators are determined not only by the dimensional and structural parameters of a particular sheet, but also by the conditions of exposure to external factors under which certain properties are manifested. For example, the characteristics of fiberboard in terms of stiffness and strength when working with fasteners can also depend on the hardware used - so, the specific resistance to pulling a screw on average varies from 10 to 77 N / mm. Since the manual moment of force provides up to 35-40 N / mm, in the installation work it is often necessary to connect a power tool in the form of screwdrivers and drills.
Varieties of plates
Particleboard materials with cement additives form a wide group of panels designed for different tasks. The sheets under consideration are considered the most modern and technologically advanced building material. For example, Green Board fiberboard (GreenBoard) is positioned as a cement heat insulator based on a mixture of wood wool, Portland cement and water glass. In the Russian regulations, according to the same GOST, the following types of this material are determined depending on the purpose:
- Low density boards. They are used as insulation, soundproofing and structural material in conditions where the humidity of the air is not more than 75%.
- Medium density fiberboard. It is used as a road sound insulator and a structural element for formwork.
- Panels with enhanced density characteristics. The most durable and popular representative of fiberboard, which is often involved in the construction of fences and load-bearing structures.
Scopes of application of plates
The material may be considered universal, although with some limitations. During the construction of a country house from such plates, it is possible to assemble the formwork mentioned above, moreover, of a fixed type. Unlike other prefabricated structures for holding the foundation, the characteristics of the fiberboard allow it to be used in the further construction of frame walls. At the next levels, a full-fledged house is made of fiberboard with structural parts from floors. Most often, this construction technology is used in panel-frame projects. Plates with less high stiffness and hardness properties are used in roofing systems, for wall decoration and flooring.
Mounting technology
Material installation approaches vary by design. In most cases, with insulation finishing, the organization of the lathing is required for installation. As a rule, this is a wooden frame vertically fixed to the wall, in the niche of which specialized insulators are laid, and fiberboard is fixed outside as a protective shell. For installation, use brackets, mounting brackets, clamping devices, screws and screws. In the case of roofing, the sheet will be laid under the insulating “pie”, and in the wall structure - outside. In interfloor ceilings, the fiberboard is laid on both sides and clamped with reinforcing bars.
Material cost
Plates are usually sold with payment in a piece form (per 1 sheet), and specific prices depend on the structure, parameters and operational features. For example, the most expensive is considered structural fiberboard. Sizes and prices for this material on average look like this: 10x600x3000 mm for 400-500 rubles. and 18x600x3000 for 1000-1200 rubles. These are sheets of increased density with several layers. Single-layer slabs with a low density and with a large delivery format rarely cost more than 600-700 rubles.
Positive reviews
The practice of operation shows that fiberboard is best manifested precisely as an insulator. It is convenient to use, holds its shape, is easy to process, does not violate the environmental background of the premises, etc. Private homeowners have loved GreenBoard fiberboard, and as a good way to finish problem surfaces. As a wall-leveling material, such sheets successfully replace drywall. Unlike gypsum-filled panels, fiberboard is praised for its resistance to deforming effects and biological destruction processes.
As the same user reviews show, the material is not whimsical in service and maintainable. Using a suitable primer, adhesives and cement mortars, it is possible to restore chips, bumps and dents with small cracks on the surfaces of the slabs. Protective coatings with refractory mastics and polymer additives are recommended to be applied regularly to the material for preventive purposes.
Negative reviews
Nevertheless, wood-cement panels rather deserve attention as something in between the finishing insulation and a full-fledged structural element. In both cases, criticism of the panels is noted as inferior to the specialized materials in each of these niches. In terms of insulation, reviews of fiberboard often emphasize their futility as a barrier against water vapor. For waterproofing, it is also recommended to use special film membranes, which just act as protection for the fiberboard itself. As regards the use of the material in critical structures and formwork, reviews are less critical in this regard, since the panels are not mounted independently without additional reinforcement.
Conclusion
The popularity of wood processing waste as the basis for various building materials is explained by many reasons. Among them are low manufacturing costs, environmental friendliness, and practicality in operation. Of course, the price of fiberboard is 500-1000 rubles. significantly exceeds the fee for traditional wood-based panels, but they have much more advantages. We can say that such plates have concentrated in themselves an optimal set of technical and operational qualities that have found their organic place in private housing construction. It remains only to choose a suitable model of fiberboard for use in specific conditions.