Bison Panel - Characteristics & Properties

Bison Panel is a cement bonded particle board made out of 62% cement & 28% wood. The wood used is of fast-growing species like Eucalyptus & Poplar. Due to adoption of a special manufacturing process, the panel acquires the strength & durability of cement, & the easy workability of wood - a combination of qualities absent in other boards.

Fire Resistance

Bison Panel is highly fire resistant & has been classified as an incombustible material in many countries around the globe. Tested in accordance with BS 476 - Fire test on building materials & structures, Parts 6, 7 have classified it as a class 'O' building board with class I surface spread of flame. Bison can be used for the construction of fire resistant building elements to satisfy the criteria of I.S.O. 834 - 1975 & I.S. 3809 - 1979 for 1/2 hour to 4 hours fire rating.

Weather Resistance

With cement constituting 62% of its composition, Bison offers excellent resistance to weather. The board has been subjected to many cycles of soaking, freezing, & heating without any sign of disintegration. The board should generally be painted or for external applications to provide a weather seal.

Biological Properties

Due to mineralisation of wood particles by cement, Bison Panel is resistant to termite & vermin attack. It also does not support fungal growth. Untreated samples exposed to contact with ground surface for several years have no sign of rot or decay. Further, Bison is radiologically fit for use as per BARC (Bhabha Atomic Research Center) test reports.

Sound Insulation Properties

Air borne sound reduction varies between 30 & 37 db for the frequency range 100 - 3150 Hz

according to the thickness of Bison Panel. When used in stud partitioning, a reduction of over 60 db can be achieved with suitable construction.

Chemical Stability

Bison Panel is manufactured by an irreversible process combining cement & wood particles

into a chemically stable building material which maintains its strength with time & exposure to elements. The board is unaffected by many dilute chemicals such as brines, bleaches,

detergents, & chlorine solutions.

Dimensional Stability

Bison has excellent dimensional stability in variable ambient temperatures & humidity

conditions. The swelling in thickness after 2 hours of immersion in water is 1% & after 24 hours immersion is only 1.5%. Longitudinal & transverse swelling will be approximately 0.3% for change in relative humidity of air from 30% to 95% at 20 deg C.

Wood Workability

Bison Panel can be drilled, sawn, & sanded with normal wood working tools. For bulk

volumes, Bison should be cut with Tungsten Carbide tipped circular saw & drilled with high

speed steel drill bits. It can be fixed using screws & nails. Pre-drilling a hole slightly bigger

than the shank would be required.

Smooth Surface

Bison Panel is light grey in colour with a smooth finish. It can be decorated with minimum

preparation. Bison can be finished with laminates, foils, & paints using Alkaline resisting

adhesives, primers, & paints.

Durability

Due to dense monolithic structure, installations throughout the world show that even without sealing, the cement bonded

particle board suffers insignificant deterioration when exposed to extreme climatic conditions. The board can withstand any

temperature from -40 to +90 deg. C.

Bison Panel contains no hazardous material like Asbestos or Formaldehyde. Its process dust is harmless. When sawing, cutting, or drilling the board, the use of a dust mask is recommeded as power tools, in particular, can produce fine nuisance dust.

Conditioning

At the factory, the boards are stored under controlled environmental conditions, so that they are delivered with a moisture content

of 9% +/- 3%. On site, they should, therefore, be stored dry within the area of application for a minimum of 24 hours. This will

allow the material an acclimatisation period prior to fixing so that the board can adjust to its working condition.

Handling

Strapped pallets should preferably be handled by fork lifts. If crane is used, broad plastic or fabric slings may be used, but not chain slings which can break the edges of the boards.

Bison Panels should be carried one by one & in vertical position. They should not be laid down

on their edges but always laid flat. When moving single boards manually, they must be carried

on edge by 2 men.

Storage

When storing Bison Panel, they must be laid flat on levelled surface. If outside, they must be protected - top & sides with water proof sheeting. Panels must never be stored on edge or leaned upright.

Bison Panel should be stored under cover in dry surroundings. Supports should be

placed at regular intervals & in sufficient numbers according to the panel length to avoid

any deformation.

Volume & Weight Table

Safe Working Load Table for Varying Thicknesses of Bison

The information presented on this webpage is a general guide to good practice & is no form of warranty.

Physical Properties

Sizes

Normal Packing Weight is 2 tons (Approx.) per pallet.