An evaluation of laboratory manufactured fire retardant treated flakeboard

This research investigated the mechanical properties of laboratory manufactured, fire retardant treated (FRT) flakeboard in an effort to help establish proper manufacturing procedure and testing protocol for these types of composite products. Two sets of fire retardant treated and untreated panels were manufactured and tested to gauge the initial effects of treatment, as well as the effects of high temperature exposure on both panel types. Testing was also conducted on different bending specimen widths in an attempt to find the specimen size most suitable for testing flakeboard composites. Results indicated that FR treatment had an adverse effect on panel mechanical properties from both an initial standpoint as well as after the panels had been exposed. Results from the specimen width investigations revealed that using a wider dimension specimen for ASTM bending tests would reduce the amount of variation and error that can be found when testing smaller size samples.