Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of thermal treatment on the physical properties of juvenile and mature woods of Eucalyptus grandis. Boards were taken from 30-year-old E. grandis trees. The boards were thermally modified at 180 °C in the Laboratory of Wood Drying and Preservation at UNESP, Botucatu, Sao Paulo state, Brazil. The results showed that thermal modification caused: (1) decrease of 6.8% in the density at 0% equilibrium moisture content of mature wood; (2) significant decreases of 14.7% and 35.6% in the maximum volumetric swellings of juvenile and mature woods, respectively; (3) significant decreases of 13.7% and 21.3% in the equilibrium moisture content of juvenile and mature woods, respectively. The influence of thermal modification in juvenile wood was lower than in mature wood and caused greater uniformity in the physical variations between these types of wood in E. grandis.
Highlights
The heterogeneity of wood generally causes much inconvenience to manufacturing and processing industries
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of thermal treatment on the physical properties of juvenile and mature woods of Eucalyptus grandis
The results showed that thermal modification caused: (1) decrease of 6.8% in the density at 0% equilibrium moisture content of mature wood; (2) significant decreases of 14.7% and 35.6% in the maximum volumetric swellings of juvenile and mature woods, respectively; (3) significant decreases of 13.7% and 21.3% in the equilibrium moisture content of juvenile and mature woods, respectively
Summary
The heterogeneity of wood generally causes much inconvenience to manufacturing and processing industries. Material physical discontinuity occurs owing to several factors: species, silviculture, and mainly, wood anatomy. Specific gravity values of 0.807 g/cm and 0.893 g/cm were found for juvenile and mature wood of Eucalyptus citriodora. The values of tangential and radial shrinkage in the juvenile wood of this species were 10.06% and 7.39%, whereas the mature wood showed values of 10.61% and 8.70%, respectively (Bao et al, 2001). The density at 0% moisture content of 5.9-yearold Eucalyptus citriodora was 0.477 g/cm, whereas the volumetric, tangential and radial swellings of this wood were 14.12%, 9.42% and 3.93%, respectively (Calonego et al, 2012)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
