This article presents research on the behavior of cement-bonded particleboards under mechanical stress caused by the static load. The composition of the boards was modified using alternative raw materials-dust (DU) forming during the processing of cement-fibre boards and particle mixture (PM) generated in the production of cement-bonded particleboards. The particleboards (1-year-old) were subjected to an adverse environment (100 to 250 frost cycles). Mechanical parameters were tested, and the development of defects during static load of the boards by bending was analyzed using acoustic emission. Particleboards with modified compositions are slightly more resistant to adverse environments. The results of the acoustic emission showed the different types of defects occurring under stress by bending. Standard-composition particleboards showed defects located mainly under the cylindrical stress-test head. The modified boards showed larger location distribution of the occurring defects that were also concentrated further away from the cylindrical stress head. The energy during the occurrence of defects was higher in the modified boards in the location of weight application than in the reference boards.
Keywords: acoustic emission; adverse environment; cement-bonded particleboard; composition; defect analysis; frost; modification; static load; stress.