On the Effect of Heat Treatments on the Adhesion, Finishing and Decay Resistance of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) and Formosa acacia (Acacia confuse Merr.(Leguminosae))

Abstract

In Taiwan, it is important to maintain sustainable development of the forestry industry in order to raise the self-sufficiency of domestic timber. Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria D. Don and Formosa acacia (Acacia confusa Merr.(Leguminosae)) have abundant storage options and are the potential candidates for this purpose. Heat treatment is a new environment-friendly method used to enhance the dimensional stability and durability of wood. On treatment, a surface with new characteristics is produced because of wood component changes. Consequently, an inactivated surface and a weak boundary layer are generated, and the wettability for adhesives and coatings is reduced. Furthermore, it decreases the pH value of the wood surface, and results in delay or acceleration during the curing of adhesives. This phenomenon must be paid attention to for practical applications of heat-treated wood. Ideal heat-treated conditions of C. japonica and A. confusa woods with productive parameters such as temperature, holding time, heating rate, and thicknesses of wood were identified in our previous study. In this research work, we focus on the normal shear strength of heat-treated wood with adhesives such as urea-formaldehyde resin (UF) and polyvinyl acetate (PVAc), and the finishing performances of heat-treated wood with polyurethane (PU) and nitrocellulose lacquer (NC) coatings as well as assessing the decay-resistance of heat-treated wood. The results show that heat-treated wood had a better decay resistance than untreated wood. The mass decrease of heat-treated wood was only 1/3 or even less than the untreated wood. The normal shear strength of heat-treated wood with UF and PVAc decreased from 99% to 72% compared to the untreated wood, but the wood failure of heat-treated wood was higher than that of the untreated one. Furthermore, the adhesion and impact resistance of wood finished by PU and NC coatings showed no difference between the heat-treated wood and untreated wood. The finished heat-treated wood had a superior durability and better gloss retention and lightfastness than that of the untreated wood.