Small Wood Samples Research Articles

Hygromechanical strains during the drying of Eucalyptus nitens boards

Collapse and drying stresses are currently induced during the drying of Eucalyptus nitens in solid wood products. The purpose of this study was to investigate these drying stresses by measuring hygromechanical strains during the drying of Eucalyptus nitens boards. Small samples of Eucalyptus nitens wood were oriented in the radial and tangential directions and tested to determine the hygromechanical strains during the drying process. This experimental work consisted of cantilevered bending tests conducted under variable relative humidity conditions. Tests were performed in a conditioning chamber at 30 °C with an equilibrium moisture content ranging from 22 to 12% under four levels of stress: 0, 10, 20 and 30% of the rupture load. The strains were determined using strain gauges, and the total deflection was measured with a linear variable differential transformer. The results show that in hygromechanical strains during the drying of Eucalyptus nitens, both the surface deformation and mechano-sorption strain were found to be proportional to the applied stress and reached their maximum values in the tangential direction. The total deflection increased 0,18 mm/mm with a surface deformation of 0,20 mm/mm, and the mechano-sorptive strain provides a greater contribution with a value of 0,11 mm/mm, thus corresponding to 59% of the total deformation. In attempts to improve the drying schedules of Eucalyptus nitens to develop solid wood products, mechano-sorptive behavior may be applied to relieve collapse and drying stress.

Avalanches in Wood Compression.

Wood is a multiscale material exhibiting a complex viscoplastic response. We study avalanches in small wood samples in compression. "Woodquakes" measured by acoustic emission are surprisingly similar to earthquakes and crackling noise in rocks and laboratory tests on brittle materials. Both the distributions of event energies and of waiting (silent) times follow power laws. The stress-strain response exhibits clear signatures of localization of deformation to "weak spots" or softwood layers, as identified using digital image correlation. Even though material structure-dependent localization takes place, the avalanche behavior remains scale-free.

Analysis of cold temperature effect on stress wave velocity in green wood

Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of temperature on stress wave velocity (SWV) in green wood below zero degress centigrade (0°C). Both field and laboratory tests were conducted on standing Korean pine trees and small wood samples to study the effects of low temperature at various moisture content (MC) on SWV. As expected, SWV in wood increased with decreasing temperature. However, near 0°C, the SWV increment was not linear but showed disproportional high increments at MCs above 50%. To explain this phenomenon, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) measurements were performed at various MCs and temperatures, i.e., the interrelation between the state of water aggregation and SWV was analyzed. The explanation of the irregular behavior of SWV as a function of temperature is straightforward: free water and a small portion of bound water in green wood are transformed from water to ice below zero degrees (0°C) centigrade. Thus the disproportional high SWV increment below 0°C reflects the aggregation change of water because the SWV in ice is higher than that in liquid water.

A simple and rapid preparation of pure cellulose confirmed by monosaccharide compositions, δ13C, yields and C%

A two-step method to extract pure cellulose from tree rings is presented in this study. The method employs the reagents diglyme (diethylene glycol dimethyl ether), hydrochloric acid and sodium chlorite in a 6-h reaction using ordinary equipment. Through separation of the chemical compositions (monosaccharides) using liquid chromatography, the product of this method is shown to contain only glucose from pure cellulose. In contrast, the chemical composition of the “α-cellulose” extract obtained by the traditional Jayme–Wise method is primarily glucose and mannose, which may come from hemicelluloses. These results are also verified by comparing the stable carbon isotope ratio (δ13C), yields and percentage of carbon (C%) of the product extracted by this method and “α-cellulose” for different tree species. The results suggest that this method is simple, rapid and appropriate for processing large numbers of small wood samples to develop tree-ring isotope series for high-resolution paleoclimatic research with softwood trees.

The Interaction of Temperature and Bending Load on Structural Performance of Chinese Larch Wood

Wood is being used extensively in timber construction in China. In fire-resistant design for timber construction, the main goal is to ensure that enough structural integrity is maintained during a fire to prevent structure collapse. It is important to understand its structural performance when exposed to elevated temperatures and loaded by stress levels. To study the interaction effect of Chinese larch wood, a total of 72 small clear wood samples were observed under constant stress levels when the wood temperature was elevated. The results indicated that Chinese larch wood was more susceptible to the coupling effect of temperature and stress. The interaction promoted a temporary stable flexural structure to collapse during a short exposure time.

Cantilever Beam Static and Dynamic Response Comparison with Mid-Point Bending for Thin MDF Composite Panels

A new cantilever beam apparatus has been developed to measure static and vibrational properties of small and thin samples of wood or composite panels. The apparatus applies a known displacement to a cantilever beam, measures its static load, then releases it into its natural first mode of transverse vibration. Free vibrational tip displacements as a function of time were recorded. This paper compares the test results from the cantilever beam static bending and vibration with standard mid-point simply supported bending samples. Medium density fiberboard panels were obtained from four different commercial sources. Comparisons were made using a set of fiberboard panels with thicknesses of 8.1, 4.5, 3.7, and 2.6 mm and nominal densities of 700, 770, 780, and 830 kg/m3, respectively. Cantilever beam static modulus and dynamic modulus of elasticity linearly correlated well but were consistently higher than standard mid-point bending modulus of elasticity having linear correlations of 1.12:1 and 1.26:1, respectively. The higher strain rates of both the static and vibrating cantilever beam could be the primary reason for the slightly higher dynamic modulus values. The log decrement of the displacement was also used to calculate the damping ratio for the cantilever beam. As expected, damping ratio had a slightly decreasing slope as density increased. This paper discusses the new apparatus and initial results.

Lethal temperature for pinewood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, in infested wood using radio frequency (RF) energy

We evaluated radio frequency (RF) dielectric heating for eradication of pinewood nematodes (PWN) in infested wood. Thirteen temperatures were tested (from ambient to 70 °C) on small wood samples (2.5 × 3.8 × 0.64 cm) to determine the minimum lethal temperature (100 % mortality), which was 56 °C [based on infra-red (IR) thermal images data 55.5–57.4 °C] with a 1 min hold time. We also used thermal probes inside the wood to confirm that temperatures were ≥56 °C. Thirty additional samples were tested bracketing the minimum lethal temperature using 54, 56 and 58 °C with additional replications to produce the minimum sample size equivalent of 100 % mortality of at least 93,616 nematodes to satisfy the Probit 9 efficacy requirement. This minimum lethal temperature was further verified by treating infested large wood blocks (10.2 × 10.2 × 25.4 cm). All samples that met or exceeded the 56 °C lethal temperature for the required 1 min hold time (as measured by probes inserted in the wood and on the wood surface by IR) produced 100 % mortality. The sample size required to show Probit 9 efficacy was also satisfied. This study supports the consideration of RF in addition to microwave (MW) dielectric heating as alternative treatments of wood packaging material for inclusion in ISPM No. 15, provided the treatment delivers the target lethal temperature throughout the profile of the material in industrial scale operations.

Integration model of hygrothermal analysis with decay process for durability assessment of building envelopes

In this study a numerical simulation model that integrates hygrothermal analysis with the decaying process of wood structures caused by moisture accumulation is presented. This simulation model can quantitatively predict both hygrothermal conditions within the building envelopes and the progress of decay in wood structures under variable conditions. The following are characteristics of the simulation model used in this study: (1) the development of wood decay represented by a differential equation with a variable of mass loss of wood substance and (2) the addition into moisture balance equations of biochemical reactions within wood decay. Hence, the simulation model enables assessment of the long-term performance of building envelopes with regard to both durability and drying potential. Rate constants of the wood decay and a coefficient of the moisture production for the model were determined by the mass loss data of small wood samples in decay tests using Fomitopsis palustris, a brown rot fungus. Additionally, numerical simulations using the model were implemented to understand both the decaying process and moisture accumulation within building envelopes. The results numerically demonstrated important phenomenon that the moisture production by biochemical reactions of wood decay helps to maintain the decaying process.

An improved method and data analysis for ultrasound acoustic emissions and xylem vulnerability in conifer wood

The vulnerability of the xylem to cavitation is an important trait in plant drought resistance and has been quantified by several methods. We present a modified method for the simultaneous measurement of cavitations, recorded as ultrasound acoustic emissions (UAEs), and the water potential, measured with a thermocouple psychrometer, in small samples of conifer wood. Analyzing the amplitude of the individual signals showed that a first phase, during which the mean amplitude increased, was followed by a second phase with distinctly lower signal amplitudes. We provide a method to separate the two groups of signals and show that for many samples plausible vulnerability curves require rejecting late low-energy UAEs. These very likely do not result from cavitations. This method was used to analyze the differences between juvenile wood, and early and late mature wood in Picea abies (L.) Karst. Juvenile earlywood was more resistant to cavitation than mature earlywood or latewood, which we relate to the tracheid anatomy of the samples.

Measurement of cellulose content, Kraft pulp yield and basic density in eucalypt woodmeal using multisite and multispecies near infra-red spectroscopic calibrations

Previous descriptions of multisite and multispecies near infra-red (NIR) spectroscopic calibrations for predicting cellulose content (CC) and Kraft pulp yield (KPY) in eucalypt woodmeal demonstrated that large, single calibrations provide precise predictions for a wide range of sites and species. These have since been used in a range of published studies. Their value lies in low-cost, fast analytical throughput and small required sample size. In particular, they allow precise values of KPY to be obtained from small wood samples obtained non-destructively. This study reports the ongoing performance of these calibrations with respect to laboratory chemical values, as well as describing a wood density calibration. Cellulose content was measured in an additional 550 samples taken from over 14 different data sets. The standard error of prediction (SEP) of CC was 0.35% with an average bias of only 0.28%. Adding these samples to the existing calibration gave a sample set of 1 800 samples, producing a calibration with a crossvalidation r2 of 0.87 and standard error of 0.78%. The existing KPY calibration was assessed against an additional 527 samples generating a standard error of prediction of 1.9% and a bias of -1.8%. Adding the samples to the calibration gave a sample set of 1 360 samples producing a calibration with a crossvalidation r2 of 0.87 and standard error of 1.29%. The correlation between NIR-predicted CC and NIR predicted KPY was 85%. A wood density calibration was developed using data generated from wood chips. A total of 1 138 samples were separated randomly into calibration and test sets, representing between 19% and 38% of the sample set. The SEP values were between 34 and 40 kg m−3 and explained between 72% and 84% of the variance. The final calibration including all samples had a crossvalidation r2 of 0.82 and standard error of 29.5 kg m−3.

A rapid staining‐assisted wood sampling method for PCR‐based detection of pine wood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus in Pinus massoniana wood tissue

SummaryFor reasons of unequal distribution of more than one nematode species in wood, and limited availability of wood samples required for the PCR‐based method for detecting pinewood nematodes in wood tissue of Pinus massoniana, a rapid staining‐assisted wood sampling method aiding PCR‐based detection of the pine wood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Bx) in small wood samples of P. massoniana was developed in this study. This comprised a series of new techniques: sampling, mass estimations of nematodes using staining techniques, and lowest limit Bx nematode mass determination for PCR detection. The procedure was undertaken on three adjoining 5‐mg wood cross‐sections, of 0.5 × 0.5 × 0.015 cm dimension, that were cut from a wood sample of 0.5 × 0.5 × 0.5 cm initially, then the larger wood sample was stained by acid fuchsin, from which two 5‐mg wood cross‐sections (that adjoined the three 5‐mg wood cross‐sections, mentioned above) were cut. Nematode‐staining‐spots (NSSs) in each of the two stained sections were counted under a microscope at 100× magnification. If there were eight or more NSSs present, the adjoining three sections were used for PCR assays. The B. xylophilus– specific amplicon of 403 bp (DQ855275) was generated by PCR assay from 100.00% of 5‐mg wood cross‐sections that contained more than eight Bx NSSs by the PCR assay. The entire sampling procedure took only 10 min indicating that it is suitable for the fast estimation of nematode numbers in the wood of P. massonina as the prelimary sample selections for other more expensive Bx‐detection methods such as PCR assay.

Rapid detection of propiconazole and tebuconazole in wood by solid phase desorption: ion mobility spectrometry

The durability of wood is improved by wood preservatives. Due to new environmental legislation, commonly used active ingredients such as chromium and arsenate are being replaced by alternative and more environmentally friendly preservatives. However, the alternative wood preservatives are more difficult to detect in the wood. Detection of the preservatives is necessary in order to monitor millwork production for qualitative assessment of the wood preservative uptake. The aim of this study is to examine the use of solid phase desorption-ion mobility spectrometry (SPD-IMS) can be used for rapid detection of the wood preservatives propiconazole and tebuconazole in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). The findings proved that SPD-IMS is capable of detecting and distinguishing wood preservatives directly from treated wood shavings. SPD-IMS requires no additional sample preparation or extraction of the wood sample. The findings show that SPD-IMS is a fast and easily applied method for direct detection of propiconazole and tebuconazole in small wood samples.

Some contributions to the high strain rate deformation of solids and the thermally activated deformation of wood

The behaviour of metals as a function of rate of loading, strain rate, and temperature is discussed in terms of previous work by the author. Strain rates range from 10-3 s-1, obtained in a standard tensile testing machine, to 102 s-1 obtained in a hydraulic piston driven machine and up to 104 s-1, very high strain rates with a Kolsky split Hopkinson bar using shear type loading. At rates less 103 s-1 the strength is a function of strain rate and temperature, is thermally activated and governed by the stress-assisted thermal activation of dislocations across short-range barriers in the crystal. At very high strain rates however the behaviour is controlled by interaction of dislocations with either phonons or electrons, giving a strength proportional to strain rate.The compressive strength of small clear samples of wood, Pinus radiata and Kahikatea, determined over the strain rate range 10−3 s−1 to 103 s−1 as a function of strain rate, temperature and moisture content shows the behaviour to again be thermally activated with the strength a function of stain rate, temperature and moisture content. A rate theory of deformation is developed where the yield behaviour of wood is assumed to result from the stress-assisted thermally activated motion of elementary fibrils over short-range barriers. The moisture is assumed to affect the bond energy between elementary fibrils and the barrier energy is taken to be a linear decreasing function of increasing moisture content and the moisture to act like a plasticiser in separating the elementary fibrils. The theory more than adequately explains the observed behaviour.

Modeling of simultaneous three-dimensional leaching and chemical reaction of CCA components in unfixed wood exposed to water

The leaching of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) components from unfixed wood immersed in water is modeled in three dimensions using an analytical model of simultaneous diffusion and reaction. Parameters for the model were determined by laboratory leaching experiments with small uncoated wood samples, departing from previous approaches where diffusion coefficients are measured in one dimension at a time. The diffusion coefficients and reaction rate constants of Cr6+, total Cr, Cu, and As in unfixed CCA-treated red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) and southern pine (Pinus sp.) were estimated, assuming first-order reaction rate equations and independent Fickian diffusion for all components. Estimated reaction rate constants and diffusion coefficients were not significantly affected by sample dimensions except for very severe longitudinal leaching from short samples. The predictive ability of the model using diffusion coefficients determined from immersion of small lab samples was evaluated by leaching experiments in a spray booth of southern pine lumber at 21 and 60°C, and red pine pole sections at 21°C. The predictive ability of the model was mixed, but in all cases represents a significant improvement over small-block leaching models which do not account for the diffusive nature of the leaching process.

Prediction of mechanical properties of Chinese fir wood by near infrared spectroscopy

Mechanical properties and the visible and near infrared (NIR) (350–2500 nm) spectra obtained from longitudinal and transverse face of 155 small clear wood samples of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) were measured, and 103 of them were used to establish calibration models. Calibrations were tested on an independent set (52 samples). Differences between calibrations developed by using the longitudinal and transverse face were small. The calibrations developed by using NIR spectra (350–2500 nm) collected from transverse face were slightly inferior to those developed by using NIR spectra collected from longitudinal face. When reducing the spectral range to between 780 and 1050 nm, the calibrations developed by using NIR spectra collected from longitudinal face were slightly inferior to those developed by using NIR spectra collected from transverse face, and reducing the spectral range causes no decrease in the quality of the models developed using NIR spectra collected from transverse face. Partial lease square (PLS) modeling and test showed that calibrations developed using the visible and NIR spectra from transverse and longitudinal faces and calibrations developed by using the reducing spectral range (780–1050 nm) from the transverse face were moderate, and have a RPD range from 1.51 to 1.90. It is concluded that NIR spectroscopy can be used as an initial screening.

Mineral Preservatives in the Wood of Stradivari and Guarneri

Following the futile efforts of generations to reach the high standard of excellence achieved by the luthiers in Cremona, Italy, by variations of design and plate tuning, current interest is being focused on differences in material properties. The long-standing question whether the wood of Stradivari and Guarneri were treated with wood preservative materials could be answered only by the examination of wood specimens from the precious antique instruments. In a recent communication (Nature, 2006), we reported about the degradation of the wood polymers in instruments of Stradivari and Guarneri, which could be explained only by chemical manipulations, possibly by preservatives. The aim of the current work was to identify the minerals from the small samples of the maple wood which were available to us from the antique instruments. The ashes of wood from one violin and one cello by Stradivari, two violins by Guarneri, one viola by H. Jay, one violin by Gand-Bernardel were analyzed and compared with a variety of commercial tone woods. The methods of analysis were the following: back-scattered electron imaging, X-ray fluorescence maps for individual elements, wave-length dispersive spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and quantitative microprobe analysis. All four Cremonese instruments showed the unmistakable signs of chemical treatments in the form of chemicals which are not present in natural woods, such as BaSO4, CaF2, borate, and ZrSiO4. In addition to these, there were also changes in the common wood minerals. Statistical evaluation of 12 minerals by discriminant analysis revealed: a. a difference among all four Cremona instruments, b. the difference of the Cremonese instruments from the French and English antiques, and c. only the Cremonese instruments differed from all commercial woods. These findings may provide the answer why all attempts to recreate the Stradivarius from natural wood have failed. There are many obvious implications with regard to how the green tone wood should be treated, which chould lead to changes in the practice of violin-making. This research should inspire others to analyze more antique violins for their chemical contents.

A Method for Studying Dynamic Sorption Behavior of Small Wood Samples

A method for determining mass changes (∼ 0.0001 g) in small (∼ 4-mm cubes) wood samples using the resonance of small mechanical springs mounted on piezoelectric sensors is presented. The size of the sample allows individual heartwood or sapwood, earlywood, latewood, and compression wood samples to be measured in an oscillating relative humidity environment and compared in terms of time constant and moisture gain. Since the apparatus is cost effective, many replicates can be achieved in one experiment. The use of small wood samples such that all tracheids are exposed removes the effect of structure on bound water transport. This, in combination with the ability to measure the response to small perturbations in relative humidity, presents the possibility to determine gaseous diffusion coefficients as a function of moisture content for individual wood types. Preliminary, representative results of a study comparing the effect of drying temperature on sorption behavior of wood dried at 20, 90, and 150°C are presented.

Increment cores from the Finnish National Forest Inventory as a source of information for studying intra-annual wood formation

We tested, whether increment cores, routinely sampled and measured as a part of the Finnish National Forest Inventory (NFI), could be used for studying the progress of wood formation during growing season. Widths of incomplete current-year annual rings of the NFI cores were compared to respective measurements from small wood samples (microcores), taken from the same trees. Results of the two methods were rather similar. However, statistically significant differences between the two methods were found for trees, which had been cored near the time of the onset of radial growth. This was caused by cases, where current-year wood formation was observed from NFI cores, while no current-year tracheids were found from the microcores. The accuracy of the microcoring method was also tested by having a subset of the microcores measured by three persons. The results were consistent in the majority of cases. The results thus suggest that the NFI increment data do have potential for analyzing the timing and rate of wood formation during the growing season.

Comparison between analytical pyrolysis and nitrobenzene oxidation for determination of syringyl/guaiacyl ratio in Eucalyptus spp. lignin

Pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) was applied to measure the lignin syringyl/guaiacyl (S/G) ratio in E. dunni, E. grandis, E. nitens, E. urograndis, and E. urophylla woods. A total of 41 compounds were identified, of which 11 were derived from carbohydrates and 30 from lignins. The S/G ratio was calculated on the basis of the areas of peaks recorded in the pyrograms and compared with the results obtained by alkaline nitrobenzene oxidation. The values of S/G found by pyrolysis were similar for all the species using the compounds guaiacol, 4-methylguaiacol, 4-vinylguaiacol, vanillin, 4-ethylsyringol, 4-vinylsyringol, homosyringaldehyde, acetosyringone, and syringylacetone, as lignin markers. The selected markers were efficient for the deter-mination of S/G ratio in eucalyptus wood by Py-GC-MS. The Py-GC-MS technique produced results that are comparable to the nitrobenzene oxidation method, with the advantage of requiring small wood samples and a short analysis time.

Release to the Gas Phase of Inorganic Elements during Wood Combustion. Part 2: Influence of Fuel Composition

Combustion of wood for heat and power production may cause problems such as ash deposition, corrosion, and harmful emissions of gases and particulate matter. These problems are all directly related to the release of inorganic elements (in particular Cl, S, K, Na, Zn, and Pb) from the fuel to the gas phase. The aims of this study are to obtain quantitative data on the release of inorganic elements during wood combustion and to investigate the influence of fuel composition. Quantitative release data were obtained by pyrolyzing and subsequently combusting small samples of wood (∼30 g) at various temperatures in the range of 500–1150 °C in a laboratory-scale tube reactor and by performing mass balance calculations based on the weight measurements and chemical analyses of the wood fuels and the residual ash samples. Four wood fuels with different ash contents and inorganic compositions were investigated, including wood chips from spruce and beech, bark, and fiber board. The results showed a high release of Cl ...