Artificial Wood Research Articles

The effect of cutting direction and water based varnish type on sound absorption coefficient in some native wood species

Noise which could be defined as disturbing sound, is becoming a major problem depending with developing technology. Controlling the noise helps raising the quality of life to higher levels. Although the intensity of the noise is not at a level that will affect human health, it should be reduced or eliminated, for better life standart. Due to the adverse effects of the noise level on health; the acoustic properties of living areas require serious consideration. Sound absorption coefficients of the materials used in the interior play an important role in providing sensory comfort depending on the volume. Natural and artificial wood are commonly used materials in interior design, especially in the construction of partition elements. In addition, wood is natural material and it has some important advantages and disadvantages. In this study the sound absorption coefficients of eastern beech and scotch pine trees, which are the most preferred materials in interior design, were investigated. For this pupose, these wood materials were cut superficially and radially according to the intersection directions, then the sample surfaces were varnished with one and two component water-based varnishes that do not contain solvent-based resin. The sound absorption coefficients of the obtained samples were determined by the impedance tube method and the results were compared statistically. It has been investigated that the obtained results could be evaluated statistically within the frequency values, besides, different results could be obtained according to the characteristics of natural wood materials, the direction of intersection and water-based varnish types. According to the findings obtained as a result of the study, it has been suggested that if natural wood material is used indoors, the superficial cross-section of East beech wood should be used according to the direction of intersection, and a two-component varnish should be used according to the varnish type.

Study on the impact of water absorption processes on the application of wood waste in composite material production

The issue of recycling and reusing waste from the wood processing industry has garnered significant attention from researchers, as effective solutions could yield economic benefits while mitigating environmental impacts. This article focuses on the development of artificial wood using unsaturated polyester resin combined with waste materials from carpentry workshops, specifically investigating its water absorption properties. Research findings indicate that the water absorption coefficient of the samples increased with longer immersion times, higher organic filler content, and larger particle diameters. The calculated density reveals a broad spectrum of solid industrial boards that can be produced from these compositions, suggesting that consistent forming conditions enhance economic viability. Notably, optimal results were achieved with samples made from mixed wood powder without prior sorting, which contributes to reduced production costs, aligning with the study's objectives. Furthermore, the investigation highlighted that the water absorption coefficient escalates with increased soaking time, organic filler content, and particle size, indicating that in humid environments, it is advisable to limit both filler content and particle size to maintain performance. Overall, the studies confirm the feasibility of utilizing wood powder as a filler, with varying particle diameters imparting distinct characteristics to the final product. These findings underscore the potential for innovative approaches to wood waste management in the industry.

Biosolar Oxygenation of Hydrocarbons by Photocatalytic Artificial Wood

Biosolar Oxygenation of Hydrocarbons by Photocatalytic Artificial Wood

Применение лазерной перфорации для повышения декоративных свойств древесины пихты сибирской (Abies sibirica)

This paper presents research into the possibilities of using laser perforation to enhance the decorative properties of Siberian fir (Abies sibirica) wood. Fir wood is characterized by fairly modest physical and mechanical properties and featureless appearance, which is why it is in low demand. With enhanced decorative properties, fir wood could find its use in the production of finish materials. The literature review reveals that the existing wood dyeing technologies are not really effective for the hard-to-impregnate fir wood. Therefore, laser perforation was used to achieve higher wood impregnation and its controlled coloring to form the texture. The study also explored the features of dyeing laser-perforated fir wood, depending on the set parameters of impregnation and wood structure. To do so, the fir samples (with the size of 165×65×32 mm) were laser perforated to form slots up to 0.2 mm in diameter and 15 mm deep. Then the samples were impregnated in an autoclave. The set parameters were determined in accordance with the two-factor experiment schedule: the pressure standing at 0.2, 0.5 and 0.8 MPa, with the impregnation time of 30, 225 and 480 min. The study showed that when perforated wood is impregnated, the dyeing solution penetrates the laser-cut slots first and mainly spreads along the wood fibers. Depending on the impregnation time and pressure applied, the dye moves from the perforated slots along the wood fibers covering a distance of 10.9 mm to 24.6 mm. The dye does not spread as well across the fibers, only coloring a total width of 1.3 to 1.7 mm both ways from the slot depending on applied pressure and time of impregnation. It was found that, first and foremost, the set parameters affect the size of colored areas along the wood fibers and make little difference to lateral coloring in absolute values. Pressure applied to perforated wood during impregnation was determined to have the biggest impact on the size of colored areas. The study proves it possible to use the developed technology in forming artificial wood textures, including those that imitate valuable wood species. For citation: Eliseev S.G., Ermolin V.N., Duk D.V. Using Laser Perforation to Enhance Decorative Properties of Siberian Fir (Abies sibirica) Wood. Lesnoy Zhurnal = Russian Forestry Journal, 2023, no. 5, pp. 151–163. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.37482/0536-1036-2023-5-151-163

Retracted: Intelligent Auxiliary Artificial Wood Plank Pattern Design Based on the Subject Search Algorithm of Multimedia Resources

Retracted: Intelligent Auxiliary Artificial Wood Plank Pattern Design Based on the Subject Search Algorithm of Multimedia Resources

Ultra-tough artificial woods of polyphenol-derived biodegradable Co-polymer with Poly(butylene succinate)

Large productions of plastics worldwide are greater concern to the environment because of their non degradability and thus, damaging the ecosystem. Recent advancements in biobased plastics are growing exponentially because of their promise of a sustainable environment. Biobased polycoumarates plastics have a wood-like appearance with liquid crystalline grains, light brown color, and cinnamon-like aroma, but have very low toughness. The polycoumarates were hybridized via main-chain transesterification with poly (butylene succinate) (PBS). PBS itself being a biobased material has added more value to the final product due to biodegradability. The mechanical flexibility and toughness of the bio-based copolymers were controlled by varying the PBS content. As a result, well-processable and in-soil degradable artificial woods with a high strain energy density of approximately 76 MJ/m3 were developed while maintaining the wood-like appearance.

Coastal wave-energy attenuation by artificial wooden fences deployed for mangrove restoration: an experimental study

By offering natural protection along offshore wetlands, mangroves play a crucial role in providing great ecological and economic benefits to local communities. However, mangroves are currently facing an increasing threat of decline worldwide due to widespread human activities and climate change. Recently, eco-friendly wooden fences have been deployed along eroded coasts for mangrove restoration projects, and these fences have the capability to attenuate incoming waves and strengthen sediment deposition in new habitats for mangrove colonization and persistence. However, the design and performance of the fences used can differ substantially among different projects; therefore, it is necessary to study the major factors affecting the wave dissipation performance of these fences and find out a more effective structural design. Thus, we focus on two distinct types of fences with and without porous infill to study the function of infill porosity and frame density, and physical experiments of waves transmission through the fences were carried out in a wave flume, in which nine wooden fences with varied infill porosities (0.60–0.90) and frame densities (0.40 and 0.70) were predetermined to measure the wave transmission, reflection, and wave dissipation. In total, 180 experimental runs were conducted under 18 wave conditions with different wave steepness. The results showed that the fence with a lower infill porosity appears to increase wave transmission coefficient that comes at a cost of a higher reflection coefficient and less wave-energy dissipation inside the fence, and the fence with the highest porosity infills (90%) is nearly equivalent to the fence without any infills but a dense frame in terms of wave damping performance. Moreover, the wave transmission through both fences with and without infill can be remarkably affected by incoming wave steepness. The outcome of the research is not only indicating the importance of the appropriate infill porosity in attenuating incoming waves but also guiding the design of mangrove restoration project in offshore wetlands.

All-natural bioinspired nanolignocellulose-derived bulk engineering materials with excellent mechanical properties and environmental stability

The construction of sustainable biomimetic lightweight material with excellent mechanical properties is a kernel part of global high-performance organic − inorganic composite engineering material. However, the intrinsic contradiction between specific engineering material performances, such as strength and toughness. Therefore, making the materials achieve these performance targets simultaneously becomes a challenge. Herein, inspired by microstructures of ordered multilayered nacre, we prepared bioinspired laminated bulk artificial wooden engineering materials (AWEM) by a scalable mechanical/chemical mineralization and directional deforming assembly method. The resulting AWEM has a large-size lightweight, high specific strength, high toughness, durable dimensional stability, and excellent resistance to liquids, including acid/alkali solutions and boiling water. This design strategy allows the mass production of lightweight engineering materials with high strength-to-weight ratios. Simultaneously, it opens the way for the design of additional biomimetic materials based on nanolignocellulose.Graphical abstractExcellent mechanical properties and environmental stability of AWEM

Utilization of high and low calcium oxide fly ashes as the alternative fillers for natural rubber composites: A waste to wealth approach

Recently, fillers from renewable resources or agricultural wastes have been considered as the alternative fillers to reduce the environmental problems. Therefore, utilization of the fly ashes (FA) collected from the electric power plants as the reinforcing filler in natural rubber (NR) composites was carried out and compared these high (HCaO) and low (LCaO) calcium oxides with carbon black (CB). The FA concentration was varied up to an optimum loading of 1000 parts per hundred rubber (phr) by using melt mixing technique. Particle size and chemical composition of HCaO and LCaO were reported and the properties of NR composites in terms of cure characteristics, Payne effect, mechanical and dynamical properties together with morphologies were examined. It was found that the addition of HCaO significantly reduced the vulcanization time of the NR composites, while the one with LCaO provided higher degree of reinforcement efficiency to the NR matrix. It clearly supports the relation of storage modulus as a function of strain sweep and their morphologies, which are the major requirements in case of composites. Upon increasing of FA loading, NR has changed its role from rubber matrix to an adhesive binder and therefore the Young’s modulus was found to be strongly changed. FA can be used to replace CB in NR composites with the composition ratios starting from 1:2–1:6 phr. Although, CB exhibited a slightly better reinforcing effect than FA, based on the lowered glass transition temperature (Tg), Tan delta (Tan δ) exhibited the same elasticity and CB can be replaced in case of several CB-based composites, particularly, the artificial wood, car stopper and tire industries to produce rubber belt and bead.

Effect of Compatibilizer on the Properties of Areca-Fiber Reinforced Polypropylene Composites

ABSTRACT Areca fiber reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites were prepared at 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% loading levels in the presence of compatibilizing agent, MAPP (maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene). The influence of compatibilizing agent and filler concentration on the mechanical properties of the resulting composites was studied. At 50% areca fiber loading, tensile, flexural strength, and modulus of the coupled samples were found to be superior when compared to the uncoupled samples. Coupled composites exhibited effective coupling/interfacial adhesion between the surface of areca fiber and polypropylene phase as evidenced by SEM microphotographs and FTIR spectroscopy. Increase in fiber percentage led to an increase in brittleness and stiffness of composites. A considerable increase in strength was noticed upon the addition of compatibilizing agent, due to proper incorporation of areca fiber into the polypropylene matrix and the efficient transfer of load from matrix to the fiber. Higher moisture absorption in case of composites with higher fiber content was found. Addition of MAPP reduces the percentage of water absorption as a result of encapsulation of areca fiber. Areca fiber can be effectively utilized to develop artificial wood with better properties to replace natural wood as a waste-to-wealth approach.

Coated Particleboards based on Castor Stalk Waste as an Alternative to Artificial Wood: (Part II)

Coated Particleboards based on Castor Stalk Waste as an Alternative to Artificial Wood: (Part II)

Physical and Mechanical Properties Analysis of Wood-waste Composite Panels

The timber industry takes an important place in our modern life, and there has been an increased interest in it for a long time, especially in industrially developed countries. The concerns of the environmental organization regarding the plant wealth preservation have caused scientific trends to search for sources or industries that can achieve acceptable alternatives to natural wood. The materials in this article are related to industrial timber manufacturing of greenhouse wood waste, low density polyethylene and non-standard joinery waste. Moreover, panel samples made from the above materials were briefly subjected to tests as well as tested by fresh and salt water absorption.The density calculation results for all samples have shown the possibility of obtaining a wide range of wooden planks from the lightest to the heaviest ones, depending on the type of filler used. Additionally, the conducted research has shown the possibility of producing artificial wood panels made from the studied materials with good quality and fully satisfactory physical and mechanical properties.

Bioinspired Construction of Micronano Lignocellulose into an Impact Resistance “Wooden Armor” With Bouligand Structure

The demand for advanced safeguards has increased with a rise in terrorism and international conflicts. Traditional impact-resistant glass and ceramics have relatively high performance but have several drawbacks as well, such as inflexibility, heaviness, and high processing energy consumption. Herein, we propose sustainable lignocellulosic duplicates: the Pirarucu scale-inspired structures that can serve as "wood armor" with impressive damage tolerance. By accurately assembling a rigid laminated lignocellulose, with a soft shear-thickened fluid interlayer, into a Bouligand-like structure, the artificial wooden armor exhibits a 10-fold increase in impact resistance. This observation is similar to that of typical engineering materials (e.g., ceramics, glass, and alloys). However, our proposed material structure has the capability of blocking the enormous impact of a bullet while notably having approximately half the density of typical engineering materials. The high durability and damage resistance of wooden armor effectively prevents catastrophic damage when it is impacted upon. The design strategy presents a method for lightweight, high-performance, and sustainable bioinspired materials for special security applications.

Effects of Biological and Chemical Degradation on the Properties of Scots Pine Wood-Part I: Chemical Composition and Microstructure of the Cell Wall.

Research on new conservation treatment for archaeological wood requires large amounts of wooden material. For this purpose, artificial wood degradation (biological—using brown-rot fungus Coniophora puteana, and chemical—using NaOH solution) under laboratory conditions was conducted to obtain an abundance of similar samples that mimic naturally degraded wood and can serve for comparative studies. However, knowledge about its properties is necessary to use this material for further study. In this study, the chemical composition and microstructure of degraded cell walls were investigated using FT-IR, XRD, helium pycnometry and nitrogen absorption methods. The results show that biological degradation caused the loss of hemicelluloses and celluloses, including the reduction in cellulose crystallinity, and led to lignin modification, while chemical degradation mainly depleted the amount of hemicelluloses and lignin, but also affected crystalline cellulose. These changes affected the cell wall microstructure, increasing both surface area and total pore volume. However, the chemical degradation produced a greater number of mesopores of smaller size compared to fungal decomposition. Both degradation processes weakened the cell wall’s mechanical strength, resulting in high shrinkage of degraded wood during air-drying. The results of the study suggest that degraded wood obtained under laboratory conditions can be a useful material for studies on new consolidants for archaeological wood.

Study of the Effects of Cu/Cu-Zn Alloy Components Adjacent to Wood in Historic Architecture: Surface Performance Changes by Artificial Wood Degradation

Here, we investigated the wood-whitening phenomenon adjacent to metal components that are commonly observed in Japanese historic architectures. The higher detection of Cu/Zn elements and fine particles of copper/zinc oxalate hydrate in whitened wood has been verified in a previous field investigation. In order to explore the related cause of this phenomenon, this study established model experiments to evaluate some surface performance changes of wood plate samples with impregnated Cu(II)/Zn(II) contents under artificial degradation. The evaluation included the following: (1) the state of metal oxalates in the wood tissue; (2) the mechanical performance of the resistance to the external forces; and (3) the colour change of the wood surface. As the result, the accumulation of metal oxalates and their growth in particle sizes were confirmed in samples containing metal, in particular those with a higher Cu(II) content, regardless of wood species. Meanwhile, this metal-involved degradation could introduce the risk of embrittlement of wood ahead of the occurrence of visible whitening discolouration.

Value Chain Analysis of Honey in Bangladesh: Production Practices and Livelihood Perspective

The study was designed to develop honey value chain through analyzing the production practices and stakeholders’ activities as mediated by livelihood strategies. A total of 84 stakeholders were interviewed for data collection. The study depicts that assemble and set up the wooden box with artificial wooden beehives near the fields was the main procedure for honey production. Apis melifera is the major honey bee reared by the beekeepers and the average number of boxes is 50, harvested honey per box per year is around 35 kg. Profitability analysis shows that honey production was profitable and the benefit-cost ratio is 1.83. Estimates of logit model indicates that age of household head, educational level, farm size, farm income and non-farm income were the significant factors that influence beekeepers’ decision for adoption. The study identified six actors in honey value chain and among the actors; processors added the highest value of total value addition. Engagement in different activities of beekeeping had a great impact on their livelihood. SWOT analysis indicates favorable environment as strength, inadequate market infrastructure as weakness, high demand for honey as opportunities, and dominancy of the middlemen as threat, respectively. Lack of credit, lower price of honey as well as lack of storage facilities was the main problems faced by the stakeholders. To overcome the problems moreover to make this business more profitable, the study recommended to form contract based cooperative groups, establish proper storage facilities and provide necessary training by the government and non-government organizations. SAARC J. Agric., 19(2): 301-315 (2021)

A nacre-inspired strong and flame retardant laminated veneer lumber bonded with magnesium oxychloride cement

ABSTRACT Laminated veneer lumber (LVL) is a novel artificial wood board that can make full use of small-diameter logs, however, problems such as low strength and inflammable property have limited its applications in architecture. Inspired by the “brick and mortar” structure of nacre, a new type of LVL was developed, in which magnesium oxychloride cement (MOC) was used as the substitute of traditional adhesives and D-gluconic acid sodium salt was employed as a water-resistant modifier. The resulting LVL displayed a higher strength and improved flame retardance, presenting modulus of rupture about 101 MPa, which was comparable to that of LVLs made by currently commercial adhesives. Simultaneously, these LVL boards remarkably suppressed the production of smoke and reduced the production of combustion heat, showing great potential in the application of the green architecture industry.

Intelligent Auxiliary Artificial Wood Plank Pattern Design Based on the Subject Search Algorithm of Multimedia Resources

Regarding the restriction of the wood processing enterprises in the market, intelligent artificial wood materials are mainly based on the demand for pattern quality levels, and the calculation method of multimedia resource theme search is used to achieve the pattern design of intelligent auxiliary artificial wood materials. First, analyze the pattern characteristics of intelligent auxiliary artificial wood materials. After analyzing the characteristics, use the multimedia resource subject search calculation method to carry out the binarization design. At the same time, use the self-learning method to optimize the convergence efficiency and reduce the design time. Finally, pass the softmax designer extracts design schemes for patterns and straight lines.

In Planta Cell Wall Engineering: From Mutants to Artificial Cell Walls.

To mitigate the effects of global warming and to preserve the limited fossil fuel resources, an increased exploitation of plant-based materials and fuels is required, which would be one of the most important innovations related to sustainable development. Cell walls account for the majority of plant dry biomass and so is the target of such innovations. In this review, we discuss recent advances in in planta cell wall engineering through genetic manipulations, with a focus on wild-type-based and mutant-based approaches. The long history of using a wild-type-based approach has resulted in the development of many strategies for manipulating lignin, hemicellulose and pectin to decrease cell wall recalcitrance. In addition to enzyme-encoding genes, many transcription factor genes important for changing relevant cell wall characteristics have been identified. Although mutant-based cell wall engineering is relatively new, it has become feasible due to the rapid development of genome-editing technologies and systems biology-related research; we will soon enter an age of designed artificial wood production via complex genetic manipulations of many industrially important trees and crops.

An environment-friendly wood adhesive using modified wheat gluten by isophorone diisocyanate

A highly efficient method was developed for preparing wheat gluten (WG) based wood adhesives with high performance using ethanol and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) as main chemical additives. The performance of the resulting adhesives was evaluated by manufacturing artificial wood products (AWP). The effects of IPDI content on the water resistance, viscosity, solid content and modification mechanism of the adhesives and the optimal method to prepare artificial wood products were investigated. The results showed that ethanol could disperse the stacked protein structures and expose some internal groups of proteins, so that IPDI could be cross-linked with protein molecules to form a more compact three-dimensional reticulum protein structure, confirmed by both the increases of the decomposition temperature and the smoother and more uniform surface of the resulting adhesives. The structural changes enhanced the hydrophobicity of the modified adhesive samples and were beneficial to resist the invasion of water molecules, which improved the water resistance of the adhesives. When the IPDI concentration was 15 wt%, the dry and wet shear strength of the adhesive reached 2.61 MPa and 0.97 MPa with the best water resistance respectively, and the viscosity and solid content increased to 32.8 Pa·s and 34.41 %, respectively. It was found that the resulting adhesives had better performance and could be used as an environment-friendly plywood adhesive instead of petroleum-based adhesive, which was more conducive to the extension of the wheat industry chain to high value-added products.