New Opportunities for the Microstructural Analysis of Wood Fibre Networks

3D image data sets of microtomography data from medium density fibreboard (MDF) have been analyzed using image analysis routines adapted to the material structure. The samples examined in this study covered a density range from 300 kg/m to 1000 kg/m. Fibre orientation, fibre surfaces, contact areas and the volume covered by cell wall material, intrafibre lumen and inter-fibre voids were analyzed and a simulation of the permeability and thermal conductivity was performed on small sub volumes of the data sets. The analysis of the microstructure will help us to better understand the fundamental mechanisms affecting the mechanical and physical properties of wood fibre based composites. Such understanding is essential if we want to optimize the performance of existing wood-based panels or to design innovative materials.