Wettability and surface roughness of thermally modified plywood panels

The objective of this research was to investigate the wettability and surface roughness properties of the plywood panels under thermal modification. The plywood panel specimens were subjected to thermal modification under atmospheric pressure and presence of air at a temperature of 150, 170 or 190 °C for 60 min. The contact angle measurements were obtained by using a KSV Cam-101 Scientific Instrument connected with a digital camera and computer system. The roughness measurements, average roughness (R_a) and maximum roughness (R_max), were performed based on both parallel and perpendicular to the grain using a fine stylus tracing technique. Statistical analyses showed significant differences in the surface roughness and contact angle values of the plywood panels following thermal modification.