Acoustoelastic birefringence effect in wood I: effect of applied stresses on the velocities of ultrasonic shear waves propagating transversely to the stress direction

The velocity changes of ultrasonic shear waves propagating transversely to the applied stress direction in wood were investigated. The wave oscillation directions were parallel and normal to the uniaxially applied stress direction. The velocities of the shear waves for both oscillations decreased as the compressive load increased, and increased as the tensile load increased. The velocity of the normally oscillated shear wave showed smaller change against the stress applied than that of the parallel oscillated wave. The initial birefringence due to the orthotropy of wood was observed without any stress. Velocity changes in the two principally oscillated shear waves were proportional to the stress within the stress range tested. The acoustoelastic birefringence effect was obtained from the velocity difference between the two shear waves. The relative difference between the two velocities (called acoustic anisotropy) was given as a function of the applied stress. The acoustoelastic birefringence constants were obtained from the relationships between the acoustic anisotropy and the applied stress.     

Acoustoelastic birefringence effect in wood III: ultrasonic stress determination of wood by acoustoelastic birefringence method

Stress conditions produced in wood were analyzed by means of the acoustoelastic birefringence method. Bending load was applied against a wood beam specimen. Under loading, ultrasonic shear waves were propagated through the breadth direction of the wood beam specimen. The velocities of shear waves polarized in the longitudinal or tangential direction of the wood beam specimen were measured with the sing-around method. Bending stresses were determined by dividing the difference between the acoustic anisotropy and the texture anisotropy by the acoustoelastic birefringence coefficient. Shear stresses were also determined. These stress distributions of the beam specimen were in good agreement with those obtained by the strain gauge method and mechanical calculation.     

Acoustoelastic effect of wood III: effect of applied stresses on the velocity of ultrasonic waves propagating normal to the direction of the applied stress

Changes in the velocity of ultrasonic waves propagating in wood normal to the direction of applied stresses are discussed. The ultrasonic modes considered here are longitudinal waves and shear waves with particle motion along the direction of the applied stress. The ultrasonic velocities in wood were measured by the sing-around method. From the results of the acoustoelastic experiments in wood, changes in the ultrasonic velocities were expressed as a function of the applied stress. For the shear waves, the ultrasonic velocities decreased with an increase in compressive stress from the initial stress level. On the other hand, the ultrasonic velocities under tensile stress increased with an increase in stress at low stress levels and then gradually decreased with further a increase in the stress. In contrast, the longitudinal wave velocities increased with an increase in compressive stress at low stress levels and then decreased with additional increase in the stress. The wave velocities under a tensile stress decreased with an increase in the stress. The proportional relations between velocities and stresses at low stress levels are confirmed, and acoustoelastic constants were obtained from these relations. Their absolute values were smaller than those reported in previous studies but larger than those of metals. The acoustoelastic effect seemed to be almost equivalent on the sensitivity for stress measurement as the strain-gauge method.Part of this research was presented at the 48th annual meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Shizuoka, April, 1998     

Acoustoelastic effect of wood II: Effect of compressive stress on the velocity of ultrasonic longitudinal waves parallel to the transverse direction of the wood

The changes in the velocity of ultrasonic waves propagating in wood parallel to the direction of applied stress are discussed. The ultrasonic mode was longitudinal waves traveling along the direction of applied stress with the compressive load applied parallel to the transverse direction of the wood. The ultrasonic velocities were measured by the sing-around method. The experimental results indicated the existence of an acoustoelastic phenomenon in the transverse direction of the wood. The percent change in the ultrasonic velocity was given as a function of the applied stress. The change in the velocity depended on the species and structural direction of the wood. That is, in the radial direction of hardwood, the ultrasonic velocity increased with increases in compressive stress at the initial stress level of less than 2MPa; it then gradually decreased with increases in stress. A change in velocity from an increase to a decrease was considered a unique phenomenon for wood. In contrast, in the radial direction of softwood and the tangential direction of hardwood, the ultrasonic velocity decreased with increases in stress from the beginning of loading. This phenomenon is also generally observed in metallic materials. The relations between velocity and stress at the initial stress level and between velocity and strain in the range of large deformation are represented by essentially straight lines. The acoustoelastic constants of wood were obtained from these relations at the initial stress level. The absolute values of the constants in the transverse direction of wood were larger than those for metals and were larger than those for the longitudinal direction of wood reported in our previous paper.This research was presented at the 1st Meeting of the Research Society of the Acoustoelastic Measurements in the Japan Society of Non-Destructive Inspection at Osaka, October 1996 and at the 47th Annual Meeting of Japan Wood Research Society at Kochi, April 1997     

Contribution of lignin to the reactivity of wood in chemical modifications II: influence of delignification on reaction with vaporous formaldehyde

Participation of lignin in the reaction between vapor-phase formaldehyde and wood was examined by using gradually delignified wood meal. A fi rst-order rate equation was successfully applied to the weight gain data. From the estimated reaction parameters such as rate constant, k, and ultimate weight gain, a, the reactivity toward formaldehyde was discussed among wood components, and compared with that for acetylation. k decreased monotonously with progress of the elimination of lignin, suggesting that the reaction rate of lignin is dominant over that of whole wood, and the decrease in the ratio of lignin retarded the reaction of wood as a whole. On the other hand, a increased with decreasing lignin content. This may be attributable to the enhanced reactivity of the remaining lignin due to some structural changes and to the increase in the number of reactive sites in polysaccharides as a result of their exposure accompanying the elimination of lignin. The dependencies of k and a on the lignin content were not similar to the case for acetylation, probably because of the difference in the reaction phase. In vapor-phase formaldehyde treatment, the remaining lignin reacts as it is, whereas in liquid-phase acetylation it would undergo rearrangement or swelling of the structure in the reaction solution.     

Study of hydration behavior of wood cement-based composite II: effect of chemical additives on the hydration characteristics and strengths of wood-cement composites

The influence of the 30 chemical additives on the hydration characteristics of birch wood-cement-water mixture was determined by measuring the maximum hydration temperature (T _max) and the time (t _max) required to reach the temperature. The chemical additives were tested and divided into two types depending on the pattern of exothermic reaction peak within the 24-h observation period. The wood-cement-water mixtures with additions of each of the 11 type I chemical additives showed a two-peak temperature-time curve similar to that for neat cement. CaCl₂, FeCl₃, and SnCl₂ reached the highestT _max above 50°C. When the 19 type II chemical additives were included, the mixtures offered only one peak hydration temperature-time curve. Among them, the 10 chemical additives caused an obvious temperature increase at the beginning of the hydration reaction. The most significant effect was with the addition of diethanolamine, where the mixture produced aT _max above 50°C. The strength values (modulus of rupture, internal bond strength) of word-cement board were tested with separate additions of the 10 chemical additives arranged by the highestT _max. There was a good positive correlation betweenT _max and the strength values. In addition, the composite chemical additives were preliminarily examined to determine if they accelerated the hydration reaction of blast-furnace slag cement. The results revealed that composite chemical additives evidently accelerated the hydration reaction and the setting of blast-furnace slag cement mixed with wood. Blast-furnace slag cement can thus be considered for use as an acceptable inorganic bonding material for wood-cement panel manufacture.Part of this report was presented at the 49th Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Tokyo, April 1999     

Contribution of lignin to the reactivity of wood in chemical modifications I: influence of delignification on acetylation

In order to examine the contribution of wood components to the acetylation of wood, we acetylated wood meal that had been partially delignified. The results were analyzed in terms of the reaction kinetics. The first-order rate equation was successfully adjusted to the weight gain data. The rate constant for acetylation initially increased with progress of lignin elimination and then turned to decrease; the apparent activation energy showed the reverse tendency and ranged from about 90 to 130 kJ/mol. These results suggest that lignin elimination brings not only separation of lignin but also drastic change of the chemical and/or physical structure in the residual lignin, and this affects the reactivity of wood meal as a whole. The ultimate weight gain estimated by the regression of the rate equation showed a minimum when lignin was moderately eliminated, which was explained in terms of enhanced reactivity of lignin and lower accessibility for holocellulose than predicted. The equilibrium moisture content had a maximum when lignin was moderately eliminated. This tendency is the opposite of that observed for the ultimate weight gain, and suggests that the sites for acetylation do not always correspond to those for moisture adsorption. Part of this report was presented at the 54th Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Sapporo, August 2004     

Mechanical properties of wood in an unstable state due to temperature changes,and analysis of the relevant mechanism IV: effect of chemical components on destabilization of wood

In order to investigate the effects of chemical components and matrix structure on the destabilization of quenched wood, we examined the physical and mechanical properties of steam-treated wood, hemicellulose-extracted wood, and delignified wood, which were treated at different levels. For steam-treated and hemicellulose-extracted wood,the relative relaxation modulus of the quenched sample was lower than that of the respective control sample. For delignified wood, the relative relaxation modulus fell with weight loss and reached a minimum value at a certain weight loss, and subsequently increased significantly. The hygroscopicity of all treated samples changed slightly by steaming, whereas increased with removing the component. More-over, the average volumetric swelling per 1% MC at 100% relative humidity (RH) was less than at 75% RH and 93% RH for component-removed wood. It was clear that a void structure existed. As a result, the destabilization evaluated by the fluidity (1 - E _t/E ₀) of steam-treated wood was influenced by the amount of adsorbed water. For component-removed wood, destabilization increased temporarily at lower weight loss because of nonuniform cohesive structure. At high weight loss, destabilization will decreased because capillary-condensed water gathered in the voids and obstructed the motion of adsorbed water. However, the destabilization of all treated wood changed less than that of chemically modified wood.     

Application of modal analysis by transfer function to nondestructive testing of wood II: modulus of elasticity evaluation of sections of differing quality in a wooden beam by the curvature of the flexural vibration wave

 The shape of the flexural vibration wave of wooden beams at the first mode was detected using the transfer function. The dynamic modulus of elasticity (MOE) of beam sections of differing quality was estimated from the ratio of the curvature of the wave shape in this section to that of a clear beam. The results were as follows: (1) If a section with a lower dynamic MOE was introduced into a clear wooden beam, the curvature of the wave shape in that section became higher. (2) The ratio of the MOE and the reciprocal of the curvature ratio were highly correlated. (3) The MOE of a defect could be estimated, and the position of the defect could be determined accurately by examining the curvature of the flexural vibration wave shapes. Received: March 22, 2002 / Accepted: May 15, 2002 Part of this report was presented at the 50th Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Kyoto, April 2000. This article is translated from the Japanese version, which was published in Mokuzai Gakkaishi 47(5), 2001 Correspondence to:Y. Ishimaru     

Effects of high temperature kiln drying on the practical performances of Japanese cedar wood (Cryptomeria japonica) II: Changes in mechanical properties due to heating

Japanese cedar wood specimens were steamed at 80°, 100°, and 120°C over 14 days, and their equilibrium moisture content (M) at 20°C and 60% relative humidity, longitudinal dynamic Young’s modulus (E), bending strength (σ _max), and breaking strain (ε _max) were compared with those of unheated specimens. Steaming for a longer duration at a higher temperature resulted in a greater reduction in M, σ _max, and ε _max. The E of wood was slightly enhanced by steaming at 100°C for 1–4 days and 120°C for 1–2 days, and thereafter it decreased. The slight increase in the E of sapwood was attributable to the reduction in hygroscopicity, while sufficient explanation was not given for a greater increase in the heartwood stiffness. Irrespective of the steaming temperature, the correlations between M and the mechanical properties of steamed wood were expressed in terms of simple curves. M values above 8% indicated a slight reduction in E and s max, whereas M values below 8% indicated a marked decrease in the mechanical performances. In addition, the e max decreased almost linearly with a decrease in the value of M. These results suggest that hygroscopicity measurement enables the evaluation of degradation in the mechanical performances of wood caused by steaming at high temperatures.     

Piezoelectric behavior of wood under combined compression and vibration stresses II: Effect of the deformation of cross-sectional wall of tracheids on changes in piezoelectric voltage in linear-elastic region

This study investigated and clarified the relation between the piezoelectric voltage and microscopic fracture of hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtura Endl.), in particular the deformation of the cross-sectional wall of the tracheid in linear-elastic regions under combined compression and vibration stresses. The piezoelectric voltage-deformation (P-D) curve consisted of a linear region starting from the origin followed by a convex curved region. The linear region of theP-D curve was only about 60% of that of the load-displacement (L-D) curve. By applying combined stresses to a specimen, the cross-sectional walls of the tracheid were deformed mainly at the radial walls. When a tracheid was regarded approximately as a hexagonal prism, the elastic buckling stress of the radial wall was estimated from scanning electron microscope images and our method based on a modification of the Gibson and Ashby method. As a result, it was estimated that the elastic buckling stress was only about 80% of the stress at the proportional limit of theP-D curve. It is found that there are two consecutive regions before the proportional limit of theP-D curve: One is the region up to the spot where the radial cell wall generates the elastic buckling, and the other is the region starting from the end of the aforementioned region up to the proportional limit of theP-D curve.Part of this paper was presented at the 47th annual meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Kochi, April 3–5, 1997