| Reducing fines generation at OSB flakers has environmental, financial, and product quality benefits. This dissertation investigates potential parameters which may influence fines generation in an industrial setting. Mill trials identified flaker knife angle, wood temperature, and flake thickness as influential variables. Laboratory models were developed, utilizing these variables for both yellow poplar and southern yellow pine. The results indicate that all three variables have an inverse linear relationship with respect to fines generation and knife angle had the most significant effect on fines generation, followed by flake thickness and wood temperature. Both models were deemed to have statistically similar parameters with respect to these variables. However, a significant difference was observed between the intercepts which was attributed to the presence of latewood in the southern yellow pine which had a larger intercept value. When compared to the field data the parameter estimates for the laboratory models were significantly different. These differences were attributed to the excessive variation observed in an industrial setting. However, the mill trials demonstrated inverse linear relationships between the variables and fines generation similar to the laboratory experiments. As a result, it is difficult to predict the exact amounts of fines generated in an industrial setting from a laboratory model but the laboratory models can still be used to accurately determine optimal production settings, Implementation of these models can save the wood industry millions of dollars annually.;Keywords. Oriented strandboard, Fines, flakers, Knife angle, Volatile organic compounds. |
