Abstract:

A simulation approach of phenolic resin cure was simulated using MATLAB software for wood composite manufacturing. The datum from the differential scanning calorimetry（DSC） testing and the panel mechanical properties testing were compared with the datum from the simulation. The results indicated that the datum from DSC testing and simulation were approximately same. With the hot pressing time increased, the internal bond（IB） of the panel and the cure index from the simulations all were increased. The conclusion of this study is that as a new approach for understanding the complex resin cure phenomenon, this simulation can be used to research the cure of the phenolic resin for wood composites manufacturing, and it is a part of the virtual processing of wood composite.

Key words: wood composites, phenolic resin, cure, simulation