THE EFFECT OF DENSIFICATION TEMPERATURE ON SOME PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF SCOTS PINE (PINUS SYLVESTRIS L.)

Abstract

As wood’s density increases, strength properties tend to increase due to a decrease in cavity volume. This study aimed to determine the effect of temperature levels in the densification process with an open-system thermomechanical method on the density, bending, modulus of elasticity in bending, compression, shear strength, and Brinell hardness in radial/tangential directions of Scots pine. The densification process significantly increased the strength properties of Scots pine. This increase stemmed from the decrease in the rate of cavities with the densification process, which also resulted in an increase in cell wall elements that have load-bearing properties per unit volume. An increase in densification temperature decreased strength properties. The decrease in the strength values can be explained by increasing chemical degradation with a rise in the temperature level. The most suitable temperature level was 120oC for a higher bending, shear, and compression strength, and it was 140oC for a higher radial and tangential hardness in the densification of Scots pine. Increases of 42% in the bending strength, 20% in the shear strength, 47% in the compression strength, 242% in the radial hardness, and 268% in the tangential hardness were obtained after densification.