Board formed from a wood fiber composite

• US 20050227040A1
• Filed: 04/13/2005
• Published: 10/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fundamental Packaging
• Original Assignee: Fundamental Packaging
• Inventors: Toupalik, John M.
• Application Number:
  US11/105,145
• Publication Number:
  US 20050227040A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/131
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 1/00 Layered products having a non-planar shape
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 21/02 the layer being formed of fibres, chips, or particles , e.g. MDF, HDF, OSB, chipboard, particle board, hardboard
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 21/042 of wood B32B21/13 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/12 using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24273 including aperture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24322 Composite web or sheet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24628 Nonplanar uniform thickness material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/253 Cellulosic [e.g., wood, paper, cork, rayon, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31957 Wood
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31989 Of wood

Abstract

The subject invention provides a board (20), which may be formed into a sheet or a structural assembly, such as a pallet. The board (20) includes a core layer (22) including a mixture of wood chips (24) and wood fibers (26) evenly blended throughout the core layer (22). Accordingly, the core layer (22) includes both the wood chips (24) and the wood fibers (26) blended together in an even distribution of each throughout the core layer (22). The board (20) may be formed in a mold (44) to define a three-dimensional shape and include openings (32) therethrough. Additionally, an indentation (34) may be formed in the board (20).

Claims

1. A composite board (20) comprising:

a core layer (22) including a mixture of a plurality of wood chips (24) and a plurality of wood fibers (26) blended together in an even distribution of each throughout said core layer (22) wherein said wood chips (24) are evenly distributed throughout said mixture and wherein said wood fibers (26) are evenly distributed throughout said mixture.

2. A board (20) as set forth in claim 1 wherein said wood chips (24) include a length less than three inches (3″

) and greater than one quarter of an inch (¼

″

), a width less than one half of an inch (½

″

) and greater than one quarter of an inch (¼

″

), and a thickness less than one quarter of an inch (¼

″

).

3. A board (20) as set forth in claim 1 wherein said mixture includes an adhesive between the range of five percent (5%) and twenty five percent (25%) of said mixture by volume for bonding said wood chips (24) and said wood fibers (26) together.

4. A board (20) as set forth in claim 3 wherein said adhesive is a urea-formaldehyde resin.

5. A board (20) as set forth in claim 3 wherein said adhesive is a plant based.

6. A board (20) as set forth in claim 1 wherein said board (20) includes a first outer layer (28) and a second outer layer (30) disposed on opposing surfaces of said core layer (22).

7. A board (20) as set forth in claim 6 wherein said first outer layer (28) and said second outer layer (30) include a plurality of medium density wood fibers (MDF) (26).

8. A board (20) as set forth in claim 7 wherein said MDF includes a plurality of pulped products up to ten percent (10%) of said mixture by volume.

9. A board (20) as set forth in claim 6 wherein said core layer (22) includes a non-uniform cross section.

10. A board (20) as set forth in claim 9 wherein said non-uniform cross section of said core layer (22) includes a domed shape.

11. A board (20) as set forth in claim 10 wherein said first outer layer (28) includes a non-uniform cross section having a bowl shape (42) complimentary to said dome shape of said core layer (22).

12. A board (20) as set forth in claim 1 wherein said board (20) defines an opening (32) therethrough.

13. A board (20) as set forth in claim 12 including a planar portion (36) and at least one upstanding edge (38) extending from said planar portion (36) at an angle relative thereto.

14. A board (20) as set forth in claim 13 wherein said board (20) defines an indentation (34) therein.

15. A method of manufacturing a composite board (20) including a core layer (22) having a mixture of wood chips (24) and wood fibers (26) comprising the steps of:

forming the mixture in a mold (44) to define the core layer (22),

compressing the core layer (22) to form the board (20), and

blending the mixture of the wood chips (24) and the wood fibers (26) in an even distribution of each prior to forming the core layer (22) wherein the wood chips (24) are evenly distributed throughout the mixture and wherein the wood fibers (26) are evenly distributed throughout the mixture.

16. A method as set forth in claim 16 wherein said step of blending the mixture is further defined as blending the wood chips (24) and the wood fibers (26) and an adhesive to form the mixture.

17. A method as set forth in claim 16 wherein said step of blending is further defined as blending the wood fibers (26) and the adhesive together before blending the wood chips (24) into the mixture.

18. A method as set forth in claim 17 including heating the core layer (22) during compression thereof.