The Effects of Heat Treatment on Some Mechanical Properties of Juvenile Wood and Mature Wood ofEucalyptus grandis

Abstract

Heat treatment is a well-known method for modifying wood that is applied in different ways, and treatment schedules change from tree to tree. This treatment improves the physical properties of wood but, in general, it reduces the mechanical properties of wood. The effects of heat treatment on the mechanical properties of juvenile and mature wood of the same tree species have not been well-defined. Therefore, we focused our study on the differences in the mechanical properties of juvenile wood and mature wood of Eucalyptus grandis after both were subjected to heat treatment. Wood samples were treated at temperatures of 120, 150, and 180°C for 4, 6, and 8 h. The test results showed that decreases in the mechanical properties of juvenile wood (e.g., modulus of elasticity (MOE), modulus of rupture (MOR), compression strength (CS), and impact bending (IB)) were greater than the decreases that occurred in mature wood that was heat treated at the same conditions.