A Note on the Water Absorption and Swelling Properties of Commercial Particle Boards

Particle boards are hygroscopic in nature and has the tendency to absorb water from its surroundings and thus results in swelling, which in turn has great impact on its utilisation. In the present study an attempt has been made to evaluate the water absorption and swelling properties of some commercial particle boards. It has been observed that rate of water absorption is fairly high in the initial period of soaking and there is no appreciable change in lengthwise and widthwise directions as compared to the thickness of the boards. It is also observed that swelling is linearly related with water absorption.