The influence of thermal treatment on the compressive strength and density of bamboo (Guadua angustifolia Kunth)

Abstract

Lignocellulosic materials that are thermally treated via hydrolysis react chemically, modifying their internal structure, which in turn modifies their physical and mechanical properties, as well as their dimensional stability. Bamboo (Guadua angustifolia Kunth) samples 3 years old, without nodes and without skin, obtained from their basal area were subjected to thermal treatment with temperatures between 160 and 200 °C and duration times between 1 h and 4 h. The severity of the thermal treatment affects the modulus of rupture and modulus of elasticity in compression. The modulus of rupture increased at temperatures up to 180 °C with treatment times of 2 h, i.e., the severity, defined as the product of the temperature and the time varied between 320 (°C*h) and 360 (°C*h). An inflection point was obtained at a temperature of 180 °C after 2 h with a maximum value of 115.1 MPa. The modulus of elasticity increased as the temperature and time increased. The modulus of rupture and the modulus of elasticity of the treated samples increased up to 14.7% and 36.1%, respectively, compared to the not thermal treated samples. Additionally, when the density increased, the resistance and the compression stiffness also increased.