Fire-resistant manufactured-wood based siding

Abstract

A manufactured wood based siding or cladding product made from an engineered wood composite including, but not limited to, oriented strand board (OSB), hardboard, plywood, and combinations thereof, with fire-resistant properties (e.g., resistance to flame spread, ignition and combustion) imparted during the manufacturing process. An engineered wood-based composite siding product (in various forms, including lap, panel or trim) possessing such material properties is better suited for meeting the requirements of certain communities or areas where building codes require such protection due to the risk of fires (such as those posed within the boundaries of the wildland-urban interface, WUI). Engineered or manufactured wood-based composite products are typically manufactured by assembling multiple layers, then consolidating these layers using heat and pressure. A “fines” layer comprising wood or lignocellulosic wood particles is currently applied to the face of engineered wood-based composite siding products (e.g., lap siding, panel siding, trim) to provide an appropriate outer appearance, or other features, to the product. In various exemplary embodiments, the present invention treats the particles that make up the “fines” layer before incorporation of the particles into the manufacturing process (i.e., “in-process”). The treatment comprises adding ingredients or additives (using appropriate methods) that impart desired protection when exposed to a fire event. Ingredients, for example, include various borate-based chemistries, minerals, or combinations thereof that impart the desired protection.