Effects of Physical Parameters on the Temperature and Vapor-Pressure Behavior of Bamboo Scrimber During Hot-Pressing

Bamboo scrimber was made by "hot in-cold out" hot-pressing with hot parameters of 5 MPa, 150 degrees C and 40-180 min. The variation of temperature and vapor pressure were investigated during hot-pressing of bamboo slabs with various initial moisture content (IMC; 5, 10, 15, and 20%), slab target density (TD; 0.9, 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2 g/cm(3)), slab target thickness (TT; 15, 30, 45, and 60 mm) using thermocouple sensors and a self-made press-monitoring system. The results showed obvious stages in the temperature and vapor pressure behavior of bamboo slabs during hot-pressing. IMC showed a limited effect on temperature but an obvious increase in vapor pressure. TD and target TT exhibited good linear relationships with the time to reach 120 degrees C in the core layer, suggesting this can be used as an indicator of hot-pressing time. However, both TD and TT correlate less well with the vapor pressure, which might reflect differences in the size or fluffing degree of bamboo bundles.