Thermophysical Properties of OSB Boards versus Equilibrium Moisture Content

The basic thermophysical properties of oriented strand boards were determined experimentally for use in humid conditions (OSB3) depending on the moisture content. The dependency between the thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, specific heat capacity, and the moisture content in the range of 0% to 10%, was examined. The non-stationary extended dynamic plane source (EDPS) experimental method was used. EDPS method was modified for anisotropic materials, i.e. with special considerations of heat-loss effect occurring at the edge of measuring samples, finite geometry of the sample and orthotropic thermal conductivity, for use with anisotropic materials. The validity of the experimental method was verified on polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) samples. The error rate of measurements conducted on PMMA samples was less than 3%, and for OSB3 boards it was less than 5.5%. Based on the experimental results, regression equations of the dependency between the monitored properties and the moisture content were determined. In the case of thermal conductivity and thermal capacity, the determined dependencies showed a high correlation rate.