27 May
2004
27 May
'04
11:14 a.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
27 May
27 May
1:18 p.m.
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. From an engineering perspective, I'd say that
particleboard is fine for
carrying loads in the right circumstances, but it is
incumbent upon the
designer to know what those circumstances are and design accordingly.
Building codes (which were cited in support of the notion) tend to be
conservative, and (especially given the likely blind substitution of
particleboard for plywood) I'm not surprised they take the tack
described.
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29 May
29 May
11:49 a.m.
Not much use for flooring in an upstairs bathroom - if you have a water leak
!
Over here in Wales we do have what is called "flooring grade chipboard " -
usually T&G - but it is definitely not strong when wet. Neverthe less , it
gets used a hell of a lot.
Geoff.
From an engineering perspective, I'd say that
particleboard is fine for
carrying loads in the right circumstances, but it is
incumbent upon the
designer to know what those circumstances are and design accordingly.
Building codes (which were cited in support of the notion) tend to be
conservative, and (especially given the likely blind substitution of
particleboard for plywood) I'm not surprised they take the tack
described.
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28 May
28 May
3:53 a.m.
>>>> "Pete" == Pete Turnbull
<pete(a)dunnington.u-net.com> writes:
Pete> 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.
Pete> Presumably it sagged, and the ends came away from the sides?
Pete> I've seen that happen. Bad design -- either an inappropriate
Pete> design for the material, or an inappropraite material for the
Pete> design, depending on your point of view :-)
No, it split in half. The trouble with that kind of particle board is
that it's very dense on the surface and not so dense in the middle, so
the middle has very little tensile strength. And it was being loaded
in tension by the brackets and groove construction.
> So I'd say that you should never use particle
board to carry
> loads.
Pete> Manufacturers of computer room raised floors will disagree with
Pete> that -- all the high-load ones I've ever coma across are made
Pete> of particle board (usually with a very thin metal cladding,
Pete> which is to protect against moisture and impacts, and to
Pete> provide electrical continuity). Of course, these are 35mm-45mm
Pete> thick, not 15mm-18mm.
It's been decades since I've seen a raised floor, but those I remember
looked like they had steel on the bottom as a structural part, not
just as a conductor.
You may be right that it's possible to use particleboard correctly in
load bearing applications. In my experience, even if possible, it's
rare, and I for one will not do it. It's excellent material for
speaker boxes, but for loads I'll use plywood or solid hardwood.
paul
7364
days inactive
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3 comments
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participants (4)
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geoffreythomas＠onetel.net.uk -
mouse＠Rodents.Montreal.QC.CA -
pete＠dunnington.u-net.com -
pkoning＠equallogic.com