ABSTRACT

The study featured the design and construction of a hydraulic particleboard compaction machine. The developed machine comprises of component parts like the frame and fixed platen, movable platen, premix mat platter and the prime mover (1.0 tonne hydraulic cylinder). The framework of the machine presented a respective permissible force, working stress, bending stress, operational deformation and platen thickness of 10,362.303N,103.005 N/mm2, 2,302.7Nmm2, 0.3605mm and 15mm.The machine was evaluated by using it to compact admixtures of rice husk and sawdust from a mat thickness of approximately 51mm to 25mm. Finished particleboards of relative dimensions of 1000mm500mm25mm were produced  from differently constituted base and adhesive materials. The resulting boards were dried and their physical characteristics were assessed and compared. The results show that the different categories of particleboards maintained evident variations in their physical characteristics. After drying the produced boards, it was observed that the “S+RP board” reduced most with a final length of 0.970m and the “S+RS board” reduced least with a final length of 0.990m. The “RP board” reduced most in width to 0.485m while “SS board” reduced least to 0.492m. The “S+RP board” reduced most in thickness to 0.015m and the “SS board” reduced least to 0.025m. The “S+RP board” has the least volume of 0.071m3 and the “SS board” has the highest volume of 0.21m3.  “The S+RP board” has the least weight of 1.400Kg while the “RS board” has the highest weight of 3.100Kg. The “RS board” is the highest dense board by 28.181 Kg/m3and the “SP board” is the least dense board by 12.000Kg/m3. The “Saw dust plus Rice husk (S+R) category of board presented a more strong and stable characteristics which could be attributed to the blend of the properties of two different base materials. Moreover, the study ventured into bridging the gap of little or no indigenously produced technologies used in waste handling and processing, especially as it concern rural and urban generated agricultural and lignocellulose materials conversion to useful engineering structural products like panel boards