Transcript Wood OSB
Commonly referred to as OSB Engineered wood product consisting of strips of wood arranged in crisscrossing layers, pressed and bound with an adhesive and made into panels Invented in 1949 by Armin Elmendorf Introduced as an alternative to traditional wood products because of wood shortages during World War II. Patented by Elmendorf in 1965 Waferboard appeared in markets in the early 1970’s The OSB industry evolved from the waferboard industry in the late 1970's as technology and investors embraced the concept. Waferboard consisted of randomly placed wood flakes OSB consists of specifically oriented wood strands In 1980 North America produced 751 million square feet of OSB panel By 1990 the number had risen to 7.6 billion square feet Mid 1990’s OSB Began to rival traditional plywood in production and sales in the panel market In 2001 OSB surpassed plywood in production and sales By 2005 OSB accounted for more then 60% of the panel market with 25 billion square feet produced The timber used in OSB production comes primarily from young growth forests. This gives OSB manufacturers an advantage of using smaller timber that can be grown in a shorter period of time; making OSB more sustainable than other building products. After harvest, whole logs are hauled to the mill's wood yard, then sorted. Logs are soaked to loosen bark and remove frost (where applicable) to prepare wood for debarking and stranding. Soderhamn Eriksson Debarking Machine Logs are run through the debarker to remove bark. Bark is later used as fuel in the mill's energy supply. The strands are cut from whole logs into precise dimensions of up to six inches long. Strands are deposited into wet bins and allowed to soak. They are then removed and placed in dryers until the appropriate moisture content is reached. Strands go through the forming line where crossdirectional layers are formed. Strands are blended with resin binders and a small amount of wax, which improves the efficiency of the resin binder and enhances the panel's resistance to moisture and water absorption. Layers of cross-directional strands are pressed under intense heat and pressure to form a rigid, dense structural panels. Panels are cooled, grade stamped, stacked in bundles and edge coated. All graded panels bear a mandatory certification agency stamp. Walls - excellent strength and rigidity under all types of siding. Roof Panels - uniformly sound and extra rigid to handle snow and wind loads. Underlayment - uniformly thin, yet strong and finely sanded, OSB provides a smooth base for vinyl or tile. Single-Layer Floors - great for use directly under carpet, lightweight concrete or hardwood flooring. Subfloors - strong, rigid and impact-resistant for underlayment, carpet or tile. Structural Insulated Panels - OSB foam-core panels offer high strength, R-value, and easy installation. Floor Joists - OSB I-joists provide a high-quality support system. Rimboards - OSB rimboards add strength and rigidity to the floor system. Price OSB can be $3 to $5 a panel less expensive than plywood. For a typical 2400 square foot home, OSB will save about $700 if used as the subfloor, sheathing, and roof decking instead of plywood. Engineered for Applications and Strength The strands can be cut to different lengths, oriented in different directions and assembled with various amounts of adhesives for customized purposes. Recognized as a Structural Panel in the Model Codes OSB is recognized as an equivalent to plywood in all North American model codes for structural sheathing applications in dry service conditions. Wide Availability and Size-Variety OSB provides wood products in dimensions that other structural panels do not offer, including panels from 4 feet by 8 feet to 8 feet by 24 feet in many thicknesses for multiple span ratings. High Consistency Because its quality is not dependent on the size of harvested trees, but on a manufacturing method , each OSB panel can be manufactured with the same uniformity and consistency. Environmentally Advantageous OSB is processed mainly from fast-growing small diameter trees, avoiding the need to log old-growth timber. OSB is a resourceefficient product, maximizing yields from a fast-growing renewable resource.