Oriented Strand Boards
From Swikipedia
Introduction
Oriented strand board, also known as OSB, waferboard, sterling board or exterior board, is a high strength, structural wood panel formed by binding wood strands with resin in opposing orientations.
Brief Description
OSB is rapidly displacing plywood as the most common sheathing material for walls, roofs, and floors. Some of the advantages of OSBs include:
• High mechanical strength and rigidity- compared to plywood and other structural panel products
• Resistance to distortion, splitting and de-lamination
• Excellent strength-to-weight ratio
• Impressive durability and dimensionally stable
• Flaw-free - no knotholes, core voids or points of weakness
• Supplied in a variety of grades, a wide range of surface sizes, ready sanded or unsanded, plain-edged or tongued-and-grooved
• Low ecological impact
• The product itself is fully recyclable
Environmental Impact of OSB:
Plywood places a large demand on mature forests because it requires large diameter trees for veneer slicers to efficiently operate, OSB can be created from low-value, small-diameter trees, saving higher-valued species and older-growth forest. This makes OSB an environment friendly material. However, the resin type should be considered for human health impact, and the production process should be monitored for air pollutant emissions.
References:
http://www.cityofseattle.net/dpd/GreenBuilding/OurProgram/Resources/Greenbuildingglossary
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriented_strand_board
http://www.apawood.org/level_b.cfm?content=prd_osb_main
http://www.toolbase.org/Technology-Inventory/Interior-Partitions-Ceilings/new-generation-osb
