Correlation between natural and artificial aging in particleboards

The main objective of this work was to establish a correlation between natural aging with artificial aging in medium density particleboards produced with polyurethane resin of castor oil and Pinus sp. For such correlation, climatological parameters at São Carlos city, São Paulo state Brazil were used. The established correlation was that 20 cycles would be proportional to the same degradation of two months of exposure under natural aging. The relation between physical and mechanical properties with the effects provided by number of months (M) on the natural aging with number of cycles (Nc) on the artificial aging was obtained with cubical polynomial regression models. In general, for physical properties, 20 Nc represents 7 to 8 months and for mechanical properties, 11 to 12 months, with exception to internal bonding, with 8 months of natural aging. The equations which best represent the relation between Nc and M were thickness swelling at 2h and water absorption at 2 h and 24 h, with R² above 93%.