Vibrational property changes of spruce wood by impregnation with water-soluble extractives of pernambuco (Guilandina echinata Spreng.)

Abstract

Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis Carr.) was treated with water-soluble extractive components of pernambuco (Guilandina echinata Spreng. syn Caesalpinia echinata Lam.) by two methods: impregnation under evacuation using an aspirator and repetitive surface application using a brush. The influence of these treatments on the vibrational properties were examined. The loss tangent (tan δ) of the impregnated specimen decreased, up to nearly a half of its original value, with increasing weight gain. It is suggested that the decrease in tan δ results from impregnation of the extractive components into the amorphous region of cell walls, forming secondary bonds between matrix substances. The surface application of the extractive components, on the other hand, hardly brought about the desirable change in vibrational properties.