The effect of urea-formaldehyde resin pre-cure on the internal bond of medium density fiberboard

The effect of elapsed time between resin blending and hot pressing stage on the degree of resin pre-cure is not known in the manufacture of medium density fiberboard (MDF). This phenomenon of resin pre-cure is a clear factor that should be taken into account in MDF manufacture. An experiment which used differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to quantify resin pre-cure degree after resin blending, and the relationship between resin pre-cure degree and the internal bond strength (IB) of MDF has been conducted. The results indicated that the rate of pre-cure process after resin blending at room temperature (23°C) under constant humidity and temperature conditions included three stages. In the first stage, the rate of pre-cure reaction was close to that of at the third stage, but lower than that of the second stage. The decrease of corresponding IB strength for boards made with material having undergone such pre-cure was very sharp during the first 24 h. After 24 h, the IB decrease displayed a linear relationship with time. The IB displayed a linear relationship with the resin pre-cure degree, as evaluated by DSC.