Air permeation rate of oriented strand boards (OSB/3 and OSB/4)

Abstract

Measurements of air permeation rate were taken according to EN 12114 for OSB boards, which were manufactured for this purpose in accordance with the requirements of EN 300 by a commercial manufacturer. The study measured the air permeation rate of samples and evaluated the influence of selected parameters on the resulting values. The effects of these factors on the rate of air permeation were specified, showing the particular influences of board thickness (12 mm and 18 mm) and type (OSB/3 and OSB/4). The dependence of the measured values of air permeation rate on the pressure difference was described using linear equations within a regression analysis. The group of OSB/3 samples exhibited a lower resistance to air permeation than OSB/4 (about 61% for both thicknesses). In addition, in both groups, 18 mm samples showed a higher resistance to air permeation than samples with a thickness of 12 mm (OSB/3 by about 40% and OSB/4 by about 41%).