27 May
2004
27 May
'04
4:14 p.m.
On May 27, 8:54, Paul Koning wrote:
I have had a particle board bookshelf come apart. The
blame was in
part on incompetent design ("scandinavian design" pretty looking
stuff) -- the shelf was "supported" on a groove milled in the edge.
That means the load was carried on less than half the thickness of
the
shelf.
Presumably it sagged, and the ends came away from the sides? I've seen
that happen. Bad design -- either an inappropriate design for the
material, or an inappropraite material for the design, depending on
your point of view :-)
I think US building rules say that particle board (or its various
analogs, such as OSB -- I still call that particle
board) are not
allowed for load bearing applications such as floors. Those must be
plywood. And personally I view any house built with particle board
*anywhere* (even where it's permitted) as cheap construction.
So I'd say that you should never use particle board to carry loads.
Manufacturers of computer room raised floors will disagree with that --
all the high-load ones I've ever coma across are made of particle board
(usually with a very thin metal cladding, which is to protect against
moisture and impacts, and to provide electrical continuity). Of
course, these are 35mm-45mm thick, not 15mm-18mm.
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Network Manager
University of York