Changes in physical properties of tropical and temperate hardwoods below and above the fiber saturation point

Changes in physical and mechanical properties of wood were analyzed using sorption tests combined with dimensional measurements and perpendicular-to-the-grain tangential compression tests. In order to determine the influence of wood structure on these changes, three hardwood species (Fagus grandifolia, Brosimum alicastrum and Cariniana domestica) presenting different anatomical structures were studied. Two experimental techniques were used to perform moisture sorption tests at 25°C. The first technique used saturated salt solutions (from 33 to 90% relative humidity) and the second used the pressure membrane method (above 96% relative humidity). Special attention was given to the “fiber saturation region”, where changes in wood properties started to take place. Results showed that at equilibrium moisture content (EMC), radial, tangential and volumetric shrinkage, as well as changes in transverse strength occurred above the fiber saturation point (FSP). This behavior can be explained by the effect of hysteresis at saturation on wood properties. This hysteresis indicates that loss of bound water takes place in the presence of liquid or capillary water, which contradicts the concept of FSP. The initial EMC at which bound water starts to be removed varied largely among the wood species.     

Effects of extraneous substances, wood density and interlocked grain on fiber saturation point of hardwoods

Samples of nine tropical hardwoods from Peru and sugar maple wood from Quebec were selected for moisture sorption and swelling tests at 25°C. These tests evaluated the fiber saturation point (FSP) by two methods: following adsorption over distilled water, and from the volumetric swelling intersection point. Cold-water and hot-water extractives, sequential cyclohexane, acetone and methanol extracts, ash content, wood density and interlocked grain were also determined on matched samples. The results indicated that adsorption tests over distilled water were not applicable for determining FSP in all wood species. Condensation of water vapor apparently occurred, even though temperature during adsorption was controlled to the nearest 0.01°C. The volumetric swelling intersection point method was judged more appropriate. FSP ranged from 15 to 25% for tropical hardwoods and was 30% for sugar maple wood. FSP was negatively correlated with wood density, acetone extracted fraction, interlocked grain and ash content. These parameters each exerted similar effects on variability in FSP.     

Effects of extraneous substances,wood density and interlocked grain on fiber saturation point of hardwoods

Abstract

Samples of nine tropical hardwoods from Peru and sugar maple wood from Quebec were selected for moisture sorption and swelling tests at 25°C. These tests evaluated the fiber saturation point (FSP) by two methods: following adsorption over distilled water, and from the volumetric swelling intersection point. Cold-water and hot-water extractives, sequential cyclohexane, acetone and methanol extracts, ash content, wood density and interlocked grain were also determined on matched samples. The results indicated that adsorption tests over distilled water were not applicable for determining FSP in all wood species. Condensation of water vapor apparently occurred, even though temperature during adsorption was controlled to the nearest 0.01°C. The volumetric swelling intersection point method was judged more appropriate. FSP ranged from 15 to 25% for tropical hardwoods and was 30% for sugar maple wood. FSP was negatively correlated with wood density, acetone extracted fraction, interlocked grain and ash content. These parameters each exerted similar effects on variability in FSP.     

Modeling the process of absorption and desorption of water above and below the fiber saturation point

Summary The process of absorption of water along the tangential direction of the wood is studied by immersing the sample in water. The transport of water is then obtained below the fiber saturation point at the beginning of the absorption and above this fiber saturation point during the process. The potential which drives the transport of the bound-water and free-water through the wood has been considered by testing a diffusional transport model. The transient diffusion with a constant diffusivity has been found to describe not only the process of absorption but also the process of desorption with diffusion of water through the solid and evaporation from the surface. Analytical solutions have been successfully used to describe the stage of absorption during a time of four hours at the end of which an equilibrium of absorption is attained, as well as the following stage of desorption. A model based on a numerical method with finite differences has been found to describe the process of absorption and desorption in various cases, and especially when the equilibrium of absorption has not been attained.This work was carried out with the help and support of the M. R. T. and the French CTB (Wood Technical Center)     

Measuring stem water content in four deciduous hardwoods with a time-domain reflectometer

New technologies in time-domain reflectometry offer a reliable means of measuring soil water content. Whether these same technologies can be used or adapted to estimate the water content of other porous media, such as the woody tissue of forest trees, has not been thoroughly addressed. Therefore, curves relating the apparent dielectric constant (K(a)) to volumetric water content (g cm(-3)) were constructed for large-diameter stems of red maple (Acer rubrum L.), white oak (Quercus alba L.), chestnut oak (Q. prinus L.), and black gum (Nyssa sylvatica Marsh.). This information was combined with previously published data and a proposed "universal" calibration equation for wood was derived. Stainless-steel rods (15-cm wave guides) were inserted into 160 trees (30 to 49 per species) growing in an upland oak-hickory forest and stem water contents estimated monthly during 1994 and 1995 with a time-domain reflectometer (TDR). Volumetric water contents in April ranged from 0.28 g cm(-3) for red maple to 0.43 g cm(-3) for black gum, with no evidence that water content changed as a function of stem diameter. Stem water contents estimated during 1994 (a wet year) increased from May to July, reached a maximum in midsummer (0.41 to 0.50 g cm(-3)), and then decreased in November. During 1995 (a dry year), stem water contents for red maple and black gum (two diffuse-porous species) decreased from May to August, reached a minimum in September (0.29 to 0.37 g cm(-3)), slightly increased in October and November, and then decreased in December. A different trend was observed during 1995 for white oak and chestnut oak (two ring-porous species), with water contents remaining fairly stable from May to August, but decreasing abruptly in September and again in December. Stem water contents estimated with a TDR broadly agreed with gravimetric analyses of excised stem segments and increment cores, although there was evidence that overestimation of water content was possible with TDR as a result of wounding following wave guide installation. Nonetheless our results hold promise for the application of TDR to the study of stem water content and to the study of whole-plant water storage.     

A NMR study of water distribution in hardwoods at several equilibrium moisture contents

The water state of one tropical (Robinia coccinea) and two temperate (Acer saccharum and Fagus grandifolia) hardwoods was determined at different equilibrium moisture contents (EMC) during desorption at 25°C. NMR technique was used to separate different components of water in wood. The species studied presented different structures, which were apparent on the spin–spin relaxation T₂ values. Three different water components were separated: slow T₂ (liquid water in vessel elements), medium T₂ (liquid water in fiber and parenchyma elements) and fast T₂ (bound or cell wall water). The NMR results showed that even at equilibrated conditions a region exists where loss of liquid water and bound water takes place simultaneously. This region will vary according to the wood structure. Finally, liquid water was present at EMC lower than the fiber saturation point, which contradicts the concept of this point when considered as a bulk property of wood.     

毛竹纤维饱和点随竹龄的变化规律

竹材的纤维饱和点对于竹材的加工利用具有重要指导意义。以毛竹为研究对象,采用力学法和水分吸着等温线法对毛竹纤维饱和点及其随竹龄的变化规律进行了系统研究。结果表明,两种方法所得的纤维饱和点不同,顺纹抗压强度法0.5龄为36.12%;1.5～4.5龄为(24.49±0.78)%,水分吸着等温线法0.5龄为24.51%;1.5～4.5龄为(18.38±0.42)%;两种方法测得纤维饱和点的绝对数值虽然存在一定差异,但随竹龄的变化规律相同,即从0.5龄到1.5龄降幅明显,大于1.5龄后趋于稳定。     

A contribution to the definition of the fiber saturation point

Summary There is hardly any term in wood science literature that has been defined so many times as the term fiber saturation point (FSP). In spite of this fact the discussion is still going on how to define and how to measure it. The aim of the paper is to evaluate some of the known definitions and propose a method of experimental measurement of FSP. The term cell wall saturation, in contrast with FSP, is clearly defined quantity that can be easily measured.The authors are grateful to the Slovak Grant Agency for Science for partial support of this work     

Equilibrium moisture content and the movement of water through wood above fibre saturation

The present work brings together the results of two previous studies on the diffusion coefficient and on capillary pressure, both above fibre saturation. The hypothesis making the data mutually consistent, is the constancy of the diffusion coefficient where capillary pressure is the driving force. Also given is an isotherm for wood which extends over the full range of moisture content, from dry to complete saturation. A further consequence of the work is the probability density function for capillary pressure with respect to water adsorbed and the corresponding distribution of capillary sizes.     

Short hold times in dynamic vapor sorption measurements mischaracterize the equilibrium moisture content of wood

Recently, the dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) technique has been used to measure sorption isotherms and develop moisture-mechanics models for wood and cellulosic materials. This method typically involves measuring the time-dependent mass response of a sample following step changes in relative humidity (RH), fitting a kinetic model to the data, and extrapolating the asymptotic mass. A series of steps covering the full RH range is used to generate the sorption isotherm. The majority of prior DVS data were taken with hold times of either 60 min or until the change in moisture content was <0.002% per minute over a 10-min period. Here, DVS measurements on wood and isolated wood polymers are presented where the hold times at certain relative humidity steps were much longer, ranging between 24 and 50 h. The data clearly show that the criteria for hold time in previous DVS measurements result in significant errors in prediction of the asymptotic mass. Although the data at short times are consistent with previous measurements, the data exhibit slow sorption behavior with characteristic times on the order of 500–2000 min that cannot be identified with shorter hold times. The results suggest that new hold time criteria need to be developed for dynamic vapor sorption measurements in wood.     

Determination of equilibrium moisture content of yellow-poplar sapwood above 100°C with the aid of an experimental psychrometer

Summary The equilibrium moisture content (EMC) of yellow-poplar sapwood was experimentally determined at dry bulb temperatures from 88 to 116°C and wet bulb temperatures from 77 to 99°C at atmospheric pressure. EMC values were within 1.3 percent moisture content of theoretical values reported in the literature. A high temperature psychrometer, capable of handling humid air at dry bulb temperatures to 177°C, was designed and constructed to accurately measure the humidity during evaluation of EMC's.     

Analysis of the pore-size distribution and fiber saturation point of native and thermally modified wood using differential scanning calorimetry

The aim of this paper was to investigate pore-size distributions in the nano-diameter range of wood and their alteration due to thermal modification of wood using thermoporosimetry, and to find out what consequences can be derived regarding the biological durability. Thermoporosimetry is a technique that is based on the measurement using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The method is based on the fact that frozen water contained within small pores is at elevated pressure and therefore has a depressed melting temperature as a function of the appropriate pore diameter. In addition, the fiber saturation points (FSP) were determined by DSC. The former were performed in an isothermal-step method and the latter using the continuous heating-up method. Native and thermally modified twin samples of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), Sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) and European ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) were analyzed. The results clearly show that the pore shares of wood for the measurable diameter range between 4 and 400 nm decrease considerably in all studied wood species due to thermal modification of the wood. Furthermore, thermal modification of wood leads to a decreased FSP for all studied wood species. For evaluation as well as reproducibility of the results of pore-size distribution and FSP, the consideration of sensible heat and specific heat of fusion plays an important role. If this is not done, it can lead to misinterpretations.     

Water content measurement in black spruce and aspen sapwood with benchtop and portable magnetic resonance devices

Abstract

In this study, water content in black spruce (Picea mariana Mill.) and aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) sapwood samples was investigated with time-domain magnetic resonance (MR). Time-domain MR measurements easily distinguish water in different environments in wood according to the spin-spin relaxation time and provide quantitative information on water content. The MR techniques employed can distinguish and quantify the individual signal components. Both black spruce and aspen have two signal components at moisture contents above the fiber saturation point. These two signal components correspond to motionally restricted water, often referred to as bound water, and unrestricted, or free water. Bound water content is constant above 40% moisture content. No signal from free water was detected at or below 20% moisture content in either species. We also demonstrate the use of a recently developed portable unilateral magnet that can be employed as a powerful tool in the study and measurement of water content in wood.     

Moisture content-water potential relationship of red pine sapwood above the fiber saturation point and determination of the effective pore size distribution

Summary The pressure membrane and pressure plate techniques were used to establish the moisture content-water potential (M-) relationship of red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) sapwood in desorption above the fiber saturation point. The moisture content-water potential relationship is required for the development of a model of drying considering the gradient of water potential as the driving force of moisture in wood. This relationship was established at 18, 56 and 85 °C for radial desorption. The results obtained demonstrate that water potential increases with temperature T at a given moisture content M. There is no significant variation of /T with temperature. Also, there is no plateau at intermediate moisture contents as was the case for the M- relationship of aspen sapwood established in a previous work. The effective integral and differential pore size distributions inferred from the M- relationship are also presented. The largest proportion of effective pore openings was found for a radius of 0.2 m. This value can be related to the pit membrane openings of red pine.This research project is currently supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada under grant no. OGP0121954     

光照和水分对新宁楼梯草生长的影响

以新宁楼梯草为试验材料,研究了光照和水分对其生长的影响。结果表明,新宁楼梯草在30%光照条件下,日平均生长高度比全光照下大50%;比正常浇水少60%的条件下,日平均高生长量比正常浇水条件下减少46.2%。可见新宁楼梯草具有较强的耐荫性,适合栽植在荫蔽、潮湿的环境下。     

Determination of the fibre saturation point in whole wood using differential scanning calorimetry

Summary A new method for determining the fibre saturation point (FSP) of whole never-dried wood is described. Enthalpy of melting values from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) experiments are used to calculate the proportion of non-freezing water. Two methods for calculating the FSP from the enthalpy data are described. FSP determinations were carried out on the commercially important West Australian eucalypt species, Eucalyptus marginata and Eucalyptus diversicolor and a plantation softwood, Pinus radiata. Results are reproducible and are corroborated by the traditional volumetric shrinkage method for determining the FSP. On all samples below 10 mg a low temperature endothermic peak is observed as a shoulder on the main peak. It is postulated that this is due to an intermediate layer of water between the freezing and non-freezing water.Use of the DSC at Curtin University of Technology, and the help of Mr. I. Sills is greatly appreciated. This and related work is supported by the Australian Govt. Department of Primary Industry and Energy (Forestry)     

核磁共振法测定高州油茶种仁含油率试验

探讨了种仁含水量、颗粒大小和样品量对核磁共振法测定高州油茶种仁含油率结果的影响,并与索氏抽提法进行比较,同时讨论了核磁共振法的测定精密度和稳定性.试验结果表明:种仁含水量、颗粒大小和样品量对高州油茶种仁含油率测定有一定影响,测定时样品需烘至质量恒定,如无特殊要求,样品不需粉碎,样品量范围为6～11 g;同一样品,核磁共振法测定高于索氏抽提法,但两种方法间的绝对偏差小于2％;核磁共振法的测定精密度和稳定性好,可用于高州油茶种仁含油率的快速测定.     

Practical techniques for the vibration method with additional mass: effect of specimen moisture content

This work examines the effect of moisture content on the accuracy of nondestructively and simply estimating weight, density, and Young’s modulus by a vibration test without measuring specimen weight. The resonance frequencies with and without concentrated mass were measured by longitudinal vibration and bending vibration tests. The wet specimens whose initial moisture contents were 93–134% were dried at 20 °C and 65% relative humidity, and their weight, density, and Young’s modulus were estimated. The accuracy of the estimation was affected by the increase in the resonance frequency, caused by the drying process, during the vibration tests. The resonance frequency without the concentrated mass should, therefore, be measured after obtaining the resonance frequency with the concentrated mass. The accuracy of the estimation in the bending vibration test was higher than that in the longitudinal vibration test. This tendency can be explained by the error in the measurement of resonance frequencies with and without the concentrated mass.