Compressive deformation of wood impregnated with low molecular weight phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin IV: Species dependency

Abstract

Flat-sawn specimens of eight wood species, albizia (Paraserianthes falkata, 0.23 g/cm3), Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica, 0.31 g/cm3), red lauan (Shorea sp., 0.36 g/cm3), European spruce (Picea abies, 0.44 g/cm3), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga douglasii, 0.50 g/cm3), elm (Ulmus sp., 0.51 g/cm3), Japanese beech (Fagus crenata, 0.64 g/cm3), and Japanese birch (Betula maximowicziana, 0.71 g/cm3), were impregnated with low molecular weight phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin and their compressive deformations were compared. The volume gain (VG) and weight gain due to 20% resin solution impregnation were different among species. Furthermore, the specific volume gain (VG/specific gravity), indicating the degree of swelling of the cell wall, also varied from 17.7% for European spruce to 26.4% for elm. Oven-dried specimens of each species were compressed using hot plates fixed to an Instron testing machine. The deformation behavior of resin-impregnated wood up to 10MPa was significantly different among the species. Stress development during cell wall collapse for low density wood was minimal. As a consequence, a significant increment of density occurred up to 2MPa for low density wood such as albizia and Japanese cedar. When PF resin-impregnated wood was compressed up to 2MPa and the pressure was kept constant for 30min, the density of Japanese cedar reached 1.18g/cm3, about 30% higher than the density of compressed Japanese birch, which possesses an original density that is 2.5 times higher than that of Japanese cedar. The mechanical properties of resin-impregnated wood, especially low density wood, increased with density. Hence, it is manifested that low density wood species have an advantage as raw materials for obtaining high-strength wood at low pressing pressure.