Mechanical fiber separation under torsional stress

Summary Spruce wood (Picea abies) samples were pretreated at different temperatures and, in some cases, with sodium sulfite solution under normal conditions for the chemimechanical pulping of wood chips. The pretreated samples were simultaneously subjected to torsion and compression stresses at temperatures ranging from 20 to 90 °C. The load-deformation relationship was analyzed at each temperature. The failure zones were studied using the scanning electron microscope technique. The results showed that the maximum torque decreased with increasing temperature under the deformation conditions applied. Sulfonation of the samples gave a similar effect, although to a smaller extent. The elastoplasticity of the samples, as viewed in terms of the twist angle at failure, was also affected by the pretreatment. While axial compression had a major effect, sulfonation only caused a marginal change. Microscopic studies of the failure zone showed that when the temperature increased, the fracture plane traveled around fibers instead of through them, thus causing less fiber damage. Sulfonation improved fiber separation and decreased fiber damage. The separation of ray cells from the fiber tracheids was improved, particularly by sulfonation. Increasing temperature and sulfonation changed the fracture plane from the secondary wall of fibers towards the more lignin enriched primary wall and middle lamella. Received 29 January 1997     

Effects of temperature and sulfonation on shear deformation of spruce wood

Summary The effects of temperature and sulfonation on the deformation of spruce wood at conditions comparable to those during screw press impregnation prior to mechanical pulping were studied using a dynamic testing method. In addition to the physical properties of wood, shear fracture surfaces obtained at different deformation temperatures and at different sulfonation levels were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).The results showed that the failure energy of wood decreased gradually with increased deformation temperature in the tested range of 20–95 °C, due to thermal softening of the material. In addition to thermal treatment, the failure energy could also be reduced by sulfite treatment of the wood before deformation, and decreased with increasing sulfonation degree.The SEM analysis showed that increasing the deformation temperature causes the fracture plane to travel around the fiber walls instead of through them, thus exposing a smoother wood surface with less fiber damage. At a given deformation temperature, particularly at the lower temperatures, sulfonation improves fiber separation.Financial support from the Swedish National Board for Industrial and Technical Development (NUTEK) is gratefully acknowledged     

The fracture behaviour of single wood fibres is governed by geometrical constraints: in situ ESEM studies on three fibre types

In situ tensile tests were performed in an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) on earlywood, transition wood and latewood cells of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.). In order to examine the single wood fibres in a wet state, a specially designed tensile testing stage with a cooling device was built. The fracture behaviour of the cell types was studied at high resolution while straining. Different failure mechanisms were observed for the three tissue types. The thin-walled earlywood fibres showed tension buckling which gave rise to crack initiation and resulted in low tensile strength, whereas thick-walled latewood fibres predominately failed by transverse crack propagation without fibre folding.     

Real-time spectral classification of compression wood inPicea abies

Compression wood is formed by the living tree to compensate for external loads. It creates wood fibers with properties undesirable in sawn products. Automatic detection of compression wood can lead to production advantages. A wood surface was scanned with a spectrometer, and compression wood was detected by analyzing the spectral composition of light reflected from the wood surface within the visible spectrum. Linear prediction models for compression wood in Norway spruce (Picea abies) were produced using multivariate analysis and regression methods. The resulting prediction coefficients were implemented in a scanning system using the MAPP2200 smart image sensor combined with an imaging spectrograph. This scanning system is capable of making a pixelwise classification of a wood surface in real time. Classification of one spruce plank was compared with analysis by scanning electron microscopy, showing that the automatic classification was correct in 11 of 14 cases.     

The effect of drying on wood fracture surfaces from specimens loaded in wet condition

Summary The study describes the effect of drying on fracture surfaces of Scots pinePinus silvestris L. Microtomed specimens of isolated and combined early-and latewood, in green and oven-dried/resoaked state were loaded to failure in uniaxial tension parallel to the grain. The fracture surfaces were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Both green early- and latewood samples showed rough fracture surfaces, which in latewood was dominated by intrawall failure. In the resoaked state, transwall failure dominated and fracture surfaces were more flat, indicating a more brittle fracture process. Although variation in the data was large, the strength of the resoaked samples were generally lower than those of paired green samples. The observations support irreversible cell wall damage formed during drying which severely affects the failure mechanism.     

Changes in wettability of wood surface using electron beam irradiation

ABSTRACT

This study deals with the influence of electron beam irradiation (EBI) on the wettability of Norway spruce surface samples. To evaluate this possible effect in detail, the changes in chemistry and wood structure were analysed using the methods of IR spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The surface wettability was determined by the contact angle measurement method. The results of infrared spectra show decreased relative numbers of available hydrophilic groups (e.g. hydroxyl and carbonyl groups) in the wood surfaces due to the electron beam irradiation. This behaviour is consistent with the values from the surface wettability measurements. Structural differences of the wood surfaces after electron beam irradiation were not detectable. Based on these findings pre-treatment of wood surfaces for industrial usages can be a potential field of application of this technology.     

Effect of thinning on the development of compression wood in stems of Corsican pine

This study considered the effects of thinning on the development of compression wood in stems of 35-year-old stand of Corsican pine (Pinus nigra L.). Part of the stand had been thinned at 5-yearly intervals and part left unthinned. Twenty trees each from the thinned and unthinned stands were randomly selected and felled. Measurements were made on tree height, stem diameter, stem slenderness and canopy depth. Wood samples were removed from the central part of the main log and cross-sectional measurements made on ring width, basic density and compression wood content. Cross-sectional area of compression wood was found to be three time higher in stems from the unthinned trees in comparison with those from the thinned trees. No significant differences in mean radial ring width or basic density were found between treatments. Correlations indicated that, with increasing in stem diameter, compression wood content increased in the unthinned trees, while a decline in compression was observed in the thinned trees. Tree height was also positively correlated with compression wood content in unthinned trees, while no equivalent relationship was observed in thinned trees. Observations from this study, while not conclusive, suggest that phototropic stimulus may be producing stem inclinations in the unthinned stand as trees compete for space in the canopy, whereas crown competition has been largely eliminated in the thinned stand; and that this is responsible for compression wood levels recorded in this study.     

On the fracture morphology in wood

Summary Structural changes in spruce and aspen wood samples subjected to axial compression were examined by means of the scanning electron microscope. For comparison, macroscopic model experiments were carried out on tube-shaped samples made of paper so as to represent segments of fibriform xylem cells. The results show that there are fracture patterns characteristic of wood in general and others characteristic of the species of wood. The phenomena characteristic of wood in general are prevalent at the cellular level and in the fracture behaviour of the cell wall layers and perforations. The characteristics of the various species of wood dominate at the level of the growth rings and are decisively influenced by the composition and arrangement of the tissues. The model experiments show that the failure morphology of the individual cells of the xylem may be explained to some extent by their geometry.     

Helical thickenings and helical cavities in normal and compression woods of Taxus baccata

Summary The longitudinal tracheids in compression wood of Taxus baccata contain helical thickenings but no helical cavities. The thickenings are as frequent and well developed and have the same ropelike appearance as in normal wood of this species. They are an integral part of the S₃ in normal and of the S₂ in compression wood and have the same orientation as the innermost microfibrils in these layers. Except for the absence of cavities and presence of thickenings, compression wood tracheids of Taxus baccata possess all the anatomical features typical of such cells, including a rounded outline, intercellular spaces, a thick S₁ layer, a highly lignified S₂ (L) layer, and no S₃ layer. Pronounced compression wood of Pseudotsuga menziesii contains helical cavities but no helical thickenings. Thickenings and cavities seem to be mutually exclusive in Pseudotsuga and Taxus.This investigation was carried out under the McIntire-Stennis Program, Cooperative State Research Service. I am indebted to Mr. A. Rezanowich of the Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada for kindly providing the scanning electron micrographs.     

Copper complexes grafted to functionalized silica gel as wood preservatives against the brown rot fungus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Coniophora puteana</Emphasis>

Wood modification with siloxanes bearing amino groups with copper-linking function was carried out by a sol–gel process. Tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) were the main components. Two different procedures were followed: a two-step process (impregnation with the TEOS/APTES mixture followed by dipping into a copper sulphate solution) and a one-step process (impregnation with a homogeneous sol mixture of TEOS, APTES and copper (II) chloride). The obtained materials were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis. The determination of copper content before and after leaching was performed by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The efficacy against the brown rot fungus Coniophora puteana was tested by an accelerated procedure. SEM analyses showed that silicon penetrated into wood, while copper is effectively drawn into wood only in the one-step treatment. Copper fixation to the silica gel proved to be adequately strong. Both sol–gel treatments gave good protection against Coniophora puteana.     

Micromechanical approach to wood fracture by three-dimensional mixed lattice-continuum model at fiber level

To investigate the fracture behavior of wood, the porosity and heterogeneities of its microstructure should be taken into account. Considering these features of wood microstructure in a continuum-based model is still a difficult problem and the lattice model might be an alternative. In the developed mixed lattice-continuum model, the probable crack propagation volume was modeled by defining a three-dimensional lattice of different beam elements and the other regions were considered as continuum medium. Different beam elements of lattice represented the earlywood fibers, latewood fibers, ray cells and bonding medium between the fibers. The proposed model was used to investigate the mechanism of mode I fracture in a small notched wood specimen in RL orientation. The resulting pre-peak and softening curve and also the crack opening trajectory in both cross-section and longitudinal-section in model were in good agreement with the experimental observations. This model shows the importance of considering the three-dimensional and distributed propagation of microcracks and main cracks in fracture stability. It was also shown that in mode I fracture, RL orientation, the main crack propagates in the earlywood ring.     

Microscopic processes of shearing fracture of old wood, examined using the acoustic emission technique

We examined the process of microscopic fracturing peculiar to old wood, based on the generation characteristics of acoustic emission (AE) events and fracture surface analysis. The shearing tests of old wood obtained from construction-derived lumber and new wood within 3 years after lumbering were performed in accordance with the Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS Z 2101-1994). The species of wood used in this study was Japanese red pine. The old wood had been used as a beam in a building for 270 years. The number of the occurrences of AEs at low load levels was larger in the old wood than in the new wood. As a result of analyzing the AE amplitude distributions, we found that the period in which AEs with small amplitudes were frequently generated was longer in the old wood than in the new wood. Also, the fracture surfaces after the final rupture under scanning electron microscope showed more uneven and complicated surfaces in the old wood. Based on the above findings, we presume that during the shearing test the old wood underwent a relatively long and stable progress of microcracking before the final fracture.     

Certain seasonal changes in balsam fir cambium and its derivatives

Summary The seasonal cambial activity of balsam fir producing normal and compression wood was observed. Samples were taken throughout one growing season. Activity was initiated in normal wood with the precocious development of one sieve cell per file 2 weeks before activity was initiated in compression wood with the formation of one new sieve cell per file. Deactivation dates in normal and compression wood were the same.Dating of the phloem adjacent to normal wood can be carried out using crushed sieve cells or an annually formed band of tannin filled parenchyma whereas adjacent to compression wood, only crushed sieve cells can be used.The maximum cambial zone widths in normal and compression wood were 15 and 16 cells, respectively. The final xylem to phloem ratio in normal wood was 14:1 while in compression wood it was 21:1.Time required for development of tracheids was examined throughout the growing season. Growth trends for the radial growth and differentiation phases were studied in both normal and compression wood. Tracheid development in normal wood took between 14 and 33 days while in compression wood it varied between 5 and 49 days.Research financed under McIntire-Stennis Research Project 5009 and COE Projects R625-173 and R625-195     

Mechanism for deformation of wood as a honeycomb structure I: Effect of anatomy on the initial deformation process during radial compression

The mechanism for radial compression of coniferous wood was examined from the viewpoint of the porous structure of wood. The compressive test was carried out in a wet-type scanning electron microscopy (WET-SEM) chamber to observe continuously the deformation process of wood. The initial stress-strain relation of the cellular solids or single cell was measured with image analyses of SEM photographs. The first fracture occurred in one tangential row of earlywood tracheids just after the load-displacement curve exceeded the proportional limit. The fracture occurred because of abrupt breaks of the radial cell walls. The first fractured cells had a tendency to have the smallest percentage of cell wall within an annual ring, and the cells suffered shearing deformation in a radial direction until the occurrence of the first fracture. On the basis of the results of image analyses, it was concluded that this shearing deformation of cells was almost linearly related to the compressive load.Part of this work was presented at the 47th annual meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society at Kochi, April 1997 and at the 1997 meeting of the Research Society of Rheology in the Japan Wood Research Society at Tsukuba, December 1997     

Chemical characteristics of surfaces of hardwood and softwood deteriorated by weathering

The factors that cause weather-induced deterioration of wood surfaces were determined by chemical and spectroscopic analyses. Albizzia (Paraserianthes falcata Becker.) and sugi (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) were exposed to two temperate conditions of natural weathering with and without rainfall and to accelerated conditions of artificial weathering coupled with ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation and water flashing. Infrared spectroscopic analysis showed that the oxidative reaction of lignin was observed under all conditions of weathering for both wood species. However, a marked decrease in lignin and hemicellulose content were recognized when albizzia woods were exposed to weathering with water. Lignin content in the softwood sugi did not decrease as much as in albizzia even in the presence of water, but the modification of lignin macromolecules was assumed to be accelerated by water, as seen by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. These results showed that the presence of water promotes the weathering deterioration of wood under UV irradiation.     

Long-term experiments with end-cracked wooden beams

Summary The duration of load effect for the fracture thoughness in mode II loading (forward shearing mode) has experimentally been determined for wood. The end-cracked beam specimens used were exposed to a constant load which corresponds to a nominal load level between 60 and 85% of the short-term capacity. The relative humidity was kept constant at 65% for two experimental series and changed cyclically between 40 and 90% for six experimental series. The length of a whole cycle was two weeks. In contrast to constant humidity conditions the time to failure was drastically reduced. For an end-cracked spruce beam loaded to 75% of its short-term capacity the lifetime was reduced from 2.5 months to 4 days.     

Compression wood induced by 1-N-Naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA), an IAA transport inhibitor

Summary NPA, applied in a 2–3 cm band around the middle protion of 2- or 3-year-old internodes of three vertically-oriented six-year-old Sugi trees (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don), brought about abnormal thickening all over the upper segment from the NPA treatment. Xylem tissues above and below the treatment, as well as at the treated area itself, was examined by ordinary light microscopy and by scanning electron microscopy. The results obtained seemed to indicate that the tissue formed after treatment in the upper segment of the stem was true compression wood. In the lower segment of the stem, no abnormal tissue but a small amount of latewood-like tissue was produced after treatment.Referring to the previous studies in which morphactin, another IAA transport inhibitor, has induced compression wood, we consider it likely that compression wood formation must be induced by high concentrations of endogenous IAA, which could be brought about by blockage created not only by NPA and morphactins, but also by IAA transport inhibitors in general.     

聚乙烯醇缩甲醛胶对杉木木材的物理与力学性能的影响

对杉木素材与聚乙烯醇缩甲醛浸渍处理材的物理与力学性能进行了对比研究,并利用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)分析了改性剂在木材中的分布情况。结果表明:随着改性剂浓度的提高,改性材的气干密度和抗缩系数均逐渐提高,气干密度最大可达0.4 g/cm3,提高了5.7%,抗缩系数最大提高了18.8%;改性材的吸水率逐渐下降,最多下降了21.1%;当改性剂浓度为30%时,改性材的破坏极限和弹性模量分别提高了6.7%和35.3%;当改性剂浓度为15%时,静曲强度下降了9.9%。SEM结果表明,改性剂填充于部分木射线以及交错纤维间的空隙中。     

人工林杉木、马尾松木材的断裂特性

使用扫描电子显微镜观察杉木、马尾松横纹拉应力、顺纹拉应力及冲击载荷作用下的破坏表面，结果表明不同的加载方式、加载速率对木材的断裂过程有影响；木材的微观构造影响其断裂过程。     

Biodegradation of new quaternary ammonium compounds in treated wood by mould fungi

The degradation of seven potential wood preservatives based on imidazolium compounds (ICs) and quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) with a modified anion structure by mould fungi was determined using soil-block method. Experiments were carried out on Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) wood. Two-phase titration and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method were used to detect and quantify the degradation products. The performed soil-block tests showed that the ICs and QACs with alkoxymethyl substituents were leached from the experimental wood when in contact with moist soil and revealed their fungal detoxification by mould fungi, especially by Gliocladium roseum. The degree of biological decomposition of new compounds was higher than didecyldimethylammonium chloride and didecylmethylpoli(oxyethyl)ammonium propionate. The observations of the colonization by mould fungi were made using the scanning electron microscope (SEM). Decay of treated wood by mould fungi showed its tolerance to QACs.