The validity of the use of SEM/EDAX as a tool for the detection of UF resin penetration into wood cell walls in particleboard

Summary The interpretation of data from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with energy dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDAX) is dependent on the size of the excitation volume, the magnitude of which for organic materials such as wood has been little studied. From the analysis of a model system comprised of a thin layer of gold sandwiched between two layers of an epoxy plastic, it was shown that about 90% of all excitations arise from a volume about 6 m wide and 4 m deep. However, these dimensions vary with the orientation of the gold relative to the specimen surface, and the specimen tilt. Theoretical predictions based on these data support, but not conclusively, the previously published SEM/EDAX evidence of the penetration of urea formaldehyde resins into the wood cell wall in particleboard manufacture.This paper was written while A. J. Bolton was Heritage Visiting Scientist at the Forest Products Laboratory, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Visiting Professor at the Department of Forestry, University of Wisconsin, both at Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.A. This support is gratefully acknowledged. The authors would also like to acknowledge the assistance of E. Edwards in machining the SEM specimens     

木材流体渗透性研究的发展与趋势

介绍了木材流体渗透性研究领域中的主要理论和常用的木材结构模型;简述了我国木材流体渗透性研究的发展和现状,以及自60年代以来所取得的主要成果。木材渗透性研究的理论主要包括线性粘滞液体流的Hagen-Poiseuile方程,非线性粘滞液态流的Erk或Bar方程,气体滑流效应的线性气体流Adzumi方程;常用于木材渗透性研究的木材结构模型有:均匀并联毛细管模型、Sebatian针叶材模型、Pety串联流导模型、Comstock针叶材模型,以及Bramhal提出由Bolton改进的渗透截面随长度衰减模型;此外还有关于短毛细管的Couete修正和Clausing修正。     

Effect of pre-steaming on drying rate,wood anatomy and shrinkage of regrowth Eucalyptus pilularis Sm.

Summary The influence of pre-steaming on the drying rate, wood anatomy and shrinkage of regrowth Eucalyptus pilularis (blackbutt) was determined. Pre-steaming increased the drying rate by 7–16%. This resulted from a mobilisation and partial removal of heartwood extractives, probably allowing greater access of water molecules to cell walls, and therefore increased radial and tangential diffusion. Longitudinal permeability is unlikely to be significantly increased by pre-steaming, as tyloses appeared unaltered. Volumetric shrinkage was unchanged.The authors wish to thank K. W. Groves of the Department of Forestry, Australian National University for his comments, J. F. Marchant and R. Colley for technical assistance, and P. Lind for some of the statistical analyses. The New South Wales Timber Advisory Council Ltd provided financial support. The work reported in this paper formed part of a post-graduate research programme undertaken by the senior author at the Department of Forestry, Australian National University     

Unsteady-State gas permeability of wood

Steady-state permeability experiments yield a single value for permeability in each of the three structural directions of wood. A high value indicates that passage through the wood is easy, but it does not necessarily mean that all voids are filled readily with a fluid.This research aimed at developing an experimental method that would give a better insight in this dual nature of wood permeability.Cylindrical wood specimens, 50 cm x 7.5 cm diameter were evacuated and a known quantity of gas was admitted to the system. A comparison of the pressure/time curve with theoretically derived results gave values for the transverse or longitudinal gas permeability.The most important results are: 1. Several species show a definitely dual permeability in the transverse direction; 2. the longitudinal/transverse permeability ratio for large specimens is considerably lower than steady-state results on small specimens indicate.Paper No. 2793 of the Journal Series of the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station, Raleigh, N.C.; a condensation of part of Ph. D. thesis from the Department of Wood and Paper Science of North Carolina State University 1967 under the direction of Alfred J. Stamm, Robertson, Professor of Wood and Paper Science.     

The structure of freeze-etched bordered-pit membranes of Abies grandis

Summary Sapwood, frozen in a conducting state, was freeze-etched for electron microscopy to show undried bordered-pit membranes. These appeared similar in structure to non-aspirated pit membranes observed in wood dried from organic solvents. Freeze-etching showed that, even before drying, the torus is lens-shaped in section and suspended by a margo of large radial strands and numerous smaller fibrils. Globular objects, previously undescribed, whose diameters ranged from 0.3 to 1 m, were found distributed at random on pit membranes and tracheid walls.We thank Mr. D. John for technical assistance, Professor P. E. Weatherley for advice, the Forestry Department, University of Aberdeen for wood samples, and the Canadian Department of the Environment, Canadian Forestry Service, for financial assistance and educational leave to G. S. Puritch.     

Treatment of timber products with gaseous borate esters

Summary Several factors which influence the treatment of timber products with vapour phase preservatives such as borate esters are considered. Gas flow rate through the substrate was found to be a significant factor limiting both preservative penetration and its rate of deposition. A theoretical model of the treatment process was developed and tested experimentally to determine the influence of several factors on the retention and distribution of boric acid. Gas flow into the timber product was influenced by permeability, pressure gradient and substrate moisture content. The implications of the findings are considered with regard to the treatment of wood and wood products with gaseous reagents.The authors wish to thank the following for their financial support and interest in this research programme — Rentokil Ltd, Rhone-Poulenc/Manchem Ltd, Forestry Commission, UK and Ireland Particleboard Association (now Panel Products Association), Norbord Highland plc (formerly Highland Forest Products plc), IMPEL     

Improvement of an opto-thermal technique for wood

Summary The opto-thermal transient emission radiometry measuring system has been improved by including a microscope as part of the signal detection system to achieve a higher degree of spatial resolution. This is illustrated with measurement of decay time of optothermal signal observed from the transverse cut of pine wood samples. Good correlations were found between opto-thermal decay time and colour within the pine growth rings.This research was performed while the author was on leave at Department of Physics and Applied Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland     

木材可压缩流体的流动型态分析

本文针对可压缩流体在木材中渗透时出现的粘性流、滑流与非线性流,根据木材解剖构造特性运用统计物理和流体力学有关理论,分析讨论了粘性流、滑流与非线性流产生的原因和机理,及其与木材中可压缩流体渗透性的关系。粘性流存在于木材中流体通过的所有孔隙,而滑流存在于木材中满足滑流产生条件的那部分孔隙中。在通常的渗透压强条件下Ｒｅ≤１０,木材中流体渗透的流动型态不存在湍流。流体动能损失导致的非线性流的出现,使可压缩流体的流动特性偏离达西定律,当使用Ｋｌｉｎｋｅｎｂｅｒｇ方程和Ａｄｚｕｍｉ方程分析测量数据研究木材可压缩流体渗透性时,要注意非线性流的影响,降低渗透压强能减少或避免非线性流。木材可压缩流体渗透性与可压缩流体的流动型态间有一定关联。     

Chemical mechanism of fire retardance of boric acid on wood

It is commonly accepted that the fire retardant mechanism of boric acid is a physical mechanism achieved by the formation of a coating or protective layer on the wood surface at high temperature. Although a char-forming catalytic mechanism has been proposed by some researchers, little direct experimental support has been provided for such a chemical mechanism. In this paper, new experimental results using thermal analysis, cone calorimetry (CONE), and gas chromatography–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (GC–FTIR) analysis are presented and the fire retardant mechanism of boric acid on wood is discussed. Basswood was treated with boric acid, guanylurea phosphate (GUP), and GUP–boric acid. Treated wood was then analyzed by thermogravimetry (TG/DTG), differential thermal analysis (DTA), CONE, and GC–FTIR analysis. Thermogravimetry showed that the weight loss of basswood treated with boric acid was about three times that of untreated or GUP-treated wood at 165°C, a temperature at which GUP is stable. The DTA curve showed that boric acid treated basswood has an exothermal peak at 420°C, indicating the exothermal polymerization reaction of charring. CONE results showed that boric acid and GUP had a considerable synergistic fire retardant effect on wood. The GC–FTIR spectra indicated that compounds generated by boric acid treated wood are different than those generated by untreated wood. We conclude that boric acid catalyzes the dehydration and other oxygen-eliminating reactions of wood at a relatively low temperature (approximately 100–300°C) and may catalyze the isomerization of the newly formed polymeric materials by forming aromatic structures. This contributes partly to the effects of boric acid on promoting the charring and fire retardation of wood. The mechanism of the strong fire retardant synergism between boric acid and GUP is due to the different fire retardant mechanisms of boric acid and GUP and the different activation temperatures of these two chemicals.The Forest Products Laboratory is maintained in cooperation with the University of Wisconsin. This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and it is therefore in the public domain and not subject to copyright. The use of trade or firm names in this publication is for reader information and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture of any product or service.     

Differential calometric analysis of wood and wood components

Summary The prolysis of cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin preparations, and wood was studied by differential calorimetric analysis (DCA) for the range of 25° to 800° C. The test samples included powdered and filter paper celluloses; hardwood xylan; softwood galactoglucomannans, compression wood galactan, and arabinogalactan; a synthetic (DHP), sulfuric acid, Björkman, Brownell, and cellulase lignins; and unextracted and extracted hardwoods and softwoods. Heats of reaction were determined from the DCA thermal transition areas. Distinct differences were found between the thermograms of each hemicellulose and lignin sample. Although wood species could not be separated thermally, hardwood and softwood thermograms differed because of the hemicellulose degradation pattern.Trade names and company names are included for the benefit of the reader and do not imply any endorsement or preferential treatment of the product by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.Formerly Research Technologist, Forest Products Laboratory, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Laboratory is maintained at Madison, Wis. 53705, in cooperation with the University of Wisconsin. Present address: The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802.     

Modelling of knots in logs

A geometrical model was derived to describe knots in logs and on the surface of lumber beams sawn from those logs. Each knot is defined by 7 parameters related to the shape and position in the stem. A computer simulation program was written to study knot shapes on a variety of observation planes.An initial investigation on the shape of knots in Scots pine logs and lumber beams suggests that the model is sufficiently accurate to describe knottiness in this species. Potential applications of this model include automated lumber grading, computerized log reconstitution and yield optimization studies.This research was carried out when the author was a Visiting Scientist at the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT), Forest Products Laboratory, P.O. Box 207, SF-02151 Espoo, Finland. Technical assistance of U. Saarelainen, A. Usenius and C. O. Sommardahl from VTT is gratefully acknowledged. This work was partially supported by Forestry Canada and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada     

木材横纹导热系数的类比法研究

分析导热与导电间某些属性的相似性 ,应用类比法推出导热系数具有导电系数的某些属性 ,可用导电系数类似的定义式定义导热系数 ,即木材导热系数等于木材单位长度单位截面的热阻的倒数。根据木材微观细胞形态 ,选用圆柱形模型推导木材横纹导热系数的理论计算式。应用该公式计算 2 0种木材的横纹导热系数 ,理论值的最大误差 14 1% ,平均误差 7% ,理论值与试验值较为吻合 ,为理论研究木材热学性质提供一种可适用的方法。     

进口木地板坯料应注意的问题

本文提出了进口木地板坯料时应考虑南北气候差异及木材密度等材性差异来确定留有不同的加工余量，并建议海关按照国际惯例制定以净尺寸材积作为计税材积的标准，避免各港口实行不同征税标准，给企业进口地板坯料带来诸多困难。该建议已引起海关总署重视，并委托国家林业局起草单耗标准。     

Distribution of lignin in normal and compression wood of Pinus taeda L.

Summary The distribution of lignin in normal and compression wood of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) has been studied by the technique of lignin skeletonizing. Hydrolysis of the wood carbohydrates with hydrofluoric acid left normal wood tracheids with a uniform distribution of lignin in the S1 and S2 cell wall layers. However, the S3 region of both earlywood and latewood tracheids consistently retained a dense network of unhydrolyzable material throughout, perhaps lignin.Lignin content in compression wood averaged about 7% more than in normal wood and appears to be concentrated in the outer zone of the S2 layer. The inner S2 region, despite helical checking, is also heavily lignified. The S1 layer, although thicker than normal in compression wood tracheids, contains relatively little lignin.Ray cells, at least in normal wood, appear to be lignified to the same extent, if not more so in certain cases, than the longitudinal tracheids. Other locations where lignin may be concentrated include initial pit border regions and the membranes of bordered pits.This report is a detailed excerpt from the Ph. D. dissertation of R. A. P. Financial support provided by the College of Forestry at Syracuse University and the National Defense Education Act is hereby gratefully acknowledged.     

Studies of the degradation and protection of wood surfaces

Summary Large weight losses occurred in thin veneers of radiata pine (P. radiata) during natural weathering due mainly to loss of lignin and hemicelluloses. This was demonstrated by direct chemical analysis and by spectrocopic techniques. Treatment of veneers with dilute aqueous solutions of the recognized surface stabilizing compound chromium trioxide was found to dramatically restrict weight loss during weathering, but similar applications of ferric compound were less effective (Evans, Schmalzl 1989). In order to rationalize these protective effects FTIR internal reflectance spectroscopy was used to study chemical changes taking place at the wood surface upon treatment and during weathering. The spectra obtained provide direct evidence for the modification and stabilization of the lignin aromatic system with aqueous chromium trioxide and to a lesser extent with ferric salts. It is postulated that photostable lignin complexes are formed. The implications of these findings for the development of improved surface stabilizing compounds for wood are discussed briefly.The authors wish to thank the following: Tom Syers and Lloyd Vickers (C.S.I.R.O., Division of Forestry and Forest Products); Helen Neave, and Clive Hilliker (Australian National University, Department of Forestry) for technical assistance, and the Stanley Melbourne Bruce fund for financially supporting part of the work     

木材渗透性可控制原理研究

本文研究了木材渗透性可控制机制,探寻了渗透性可控制原理。结果表明,影响渗透性高低的最主要因素为纹孔膜微孔半径和数量,微孔大而多者,渗透性高;微孔愈小,微孔里气-液界面上毛细管张力愈高,对液体流动的影响愈大,浸注愈难,欲使浸注液深注入木材,必须施一与此微孔半径相应足以克服此张力的压力。若欲改善低渗透树种木材的难浸注性,似应从纹孔入手,用化学的、物理的和生物的等方法增大和增多有效纹孔膜微孔半径和数量,以减小毛细管张力,降低使用压力,增大流量率,提高渗透性。     

Moisture content gradient in a softwood board during drying: simulation from a 2-D model and measurement

Summary A 2-D mathematical model was developed to simulate moisture movement and heat transfer in width and thickness directions within a softwood board during drying. The model is based on wood physiological features and behaviour observed during drying. In sapwood, liquid water movement is assumed to be a consequence of capillary action between liquid and gas phases inside the cell lumens. However, liquid flow does not occur in wood close to the exposed surfaces because at timber surfaces the wood cells are damaged during the sawing process and consequently the liquid column is broken. In heartwood, liquid flow is negligible since the pits are normally aspirated during the formation of heartwood in the growing tree. Water vapour moves under a partial vapour pressure gradient while bound water diffuses within the wood material due to differences in chemical potential. The model was solved numerically to predict moisture-content profiles. Experiments were undertaken to measure the moisturecontent gradient. Samples were removed from a tunnel dryer at intervals throughout drying, frozen overnight and then cut into slices for moisture-content determination. The experimental results were used to verify the model.This work is supported by the New Zealand Foundation of Research, Science and Technology under contract CO4415     

木材可压缩流体渗透中滑流的研究

在气体平均压力倒数为1.4-48atm~(-1)范围内测定了长白鱼鳞云杉和红松木材可压缩流休渗透中滑流效应及影响滑流的因素,论述了木材中流体流动形态和机理。研究表明,两种木材可压缩流体渗透中均产生滑流,但长白鱼鳞云杉中滑流高于红松。前者滑流渗透性与真渗透性百分比、比名义渗透性与真渗透性比、滑流因素分别为69.39％、1.69、0.356atm;后者分别为37.64％、1.376、0.197atm。滑流的大小与木材有效毛细管半径、真渗透性和气体平均压力有高度紧密相关。木材有效毛细管半径愈小,真渗透性愈低,或气体平均压力愈低,则滑流效应愈大。     

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.     

Weathering characteristics of hardwood surfaces

Summary Four hardwoods, red oak, white oak, yellow-poplar, and sweetgum, were exposed to outdoor weathering and to artificial ultraviolet (UV) light with wavelengths of >220 and >254 nm. Discoloration and loss of brightness were observed from all specimens regardless of their exposure conditions. White oak and sweetgum changed color at a slower rate than did red oak and yellow-poplar. SEM micrographs showed that all wood species exhibited surface deterioration after 30 days exposure to sunlight or 500 hrs to UV light. Loss of middle lamella, separation of procumbent cells, and damage of pit structures were observed on transverse sections for all species. ESCA studies revealed a high oxygen content at the wood surfaces indicating severe oxidation of wood exposed either outdoors or to artificial UV light. The generation of new chromophoric groups such as carbonyls, carboxylic acids and quinones, and the loss of lignin at the oxidized surface were demonstrated experimentally by infrared studies.This study was supported by cooperative research funds provided by the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin. The authors wish to acknowledge this support