UTILIZATION POTENTIAL OF WOOD CLONES OF Eucalyptus urophylla IN THE PRODUCTION OF WOOD-CEMENT PANELS

The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of using clones of Eucalyptus urophylla in the production of wood-cement panels. The study used six clones of Eucalyptus urophylla with 8 years of age, from the Companhia Mineira de Metals, located in Paracatu - MG. For the formation of the panels it was used Portland cement CPV - ARI/Plus, possessing high initial resistance to mineral binder and calcium chloride (CaCl(2)) as accelerator for the cement curing. The panels were produced with the following parameters: dimensions of 49.5 x 49.5 x 1.5 cm, nominal density of 1.2 g/cm(3), relation wood:cement (1:2.5) and relation water: cement (1:1.5). The results can showed that: (1) for thickness swelling in two and twenty-four hours, only clones 19.28 and 58 attended the specifications, (2)for water absorption, clone 62 showed the best results, (3) to internal bond, only clone 58 didn't attend specifications, (4) for the compression, clones 19.36 and 58 showed the best results, (5) for MOE and MOR, none of the clones presented values compatible to the bison process. It is suggested the continuation of this line of research, including the manipulation of variables of production, so that all properties be compatible to the minimum required standards.