Oriented strand board
OSB can be easily identified by its visible wood strands.
Oriented strand board, commonly called OSB, is a type of particle board which is made of carefully positioned strands of wood. Aspen and other similar woods are cut into long strands parallel to the grain of the wood.[1] It is manufactured into sheets made up of wood strands, wax, and resin adhesives. Sheets are formed under pressure and heat.[1] The finished sheet size varies by country. OSB is very strong making it ideal for building construction.[1] Its most common uses in construction are for covering walls, floors and roofs before the finish products are applied.
- OSB-2 is specially designed OSB for load-bearing purposes. It is for use in dry areas.[2]
- OSB-3 is designed the same, but is for use in wet areas.[2]
OSB can also be made from trees from areas burned over by forest fires.[3]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Eric Lund; United States Department of Housing and Urban Development; et al., Alternatives to Lumber and Plywood in Home Construction (Washington, D.C.: The Dept., 1993), p. 21
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wood Production, Wood Technology, and Biotechnological Impacts, ed. Ursula Kües (Göttingen, Univ.-Verl. Göttingen, 2007), p. 316
- ↑ Laura Maria Moya, Using Fire-impacted Trees for Wood Composites: Characterization and Modeling, dissertation, University of Minnesota (November 2008), p. 32