Design of experiments for investigating particleboard production using hardwood sawmill residue

Experimental methods are widely used in research and development (R&D) works as well as in industri al settings for variolls investigations. This paper di scusses the investi gation of the suitability of hardwood saw mill residue/waste as structural particleboard raw material. The challenge is that there are a lot of unknowns about how best to design the product. Owing to a wide range of raw materials and their contents for particleboard mix design, a large number of experiments were required. Using Design of Experiments (DOE). the experimenter can change seve ral factors simultaneously. yet each factor is evaluated independently, to obtain a logical understanding between dependent and independent variables. DOE was used to undertake experiments efficiently and also, to optimise Modulus of Elasticity of hardwood particleboard to meet Australian standards. Benefits of using DOE to investigate new material or process are di scussed in this paper.