Abstract
Chinese Fir is one of the most commonly planted tree species in China. As a fast-growing species, the main drawback is dimensional instability, which limits its applications. Steam-heat treatment is one of the effective methods to improve the dimensional stability of wood. Heartwood and sapwood of Chinese fir were treated using thermal modification with steam that was used as a heating medium and a shielding gas at temperatures ranging from 170 to 230°C and length of time from 1 to 5 hours in an airtight chamber with an atmosphere comprising less than 2 per cent of oxygen. The effect of steam-heat treatment on anti-shrink efficiency and anti-swelling efficiency were examined. The results indicated that the dimensional stability of the wood was increased by 73% for heartwood and 71% for sapwood at 230°C for 5 hours, respectively.
Zusammenfassung
Chinesische Tanne ist eine der in China am meisten gepflanzten Baumarten. Der größte Nachteil dieser schnell wachsenden Baumart ist die geringe Dimensionsstabilität und die dadurch eingeschränkten Verwendungsmöglichkeiten des Holzes. Die Heißdampfbehandlung ist ein wirksames Verfahren zur Verbesserung der Dimensionsstabilität von Holz. Chinesisches Tannenkern- und Splintholz wurde mit Dampf als Heizmittel und einem Inertgas bei Temperaturen von 170 bis 230°C für eine Dauer von 1 bis 5 Stunden in einer luftdichten Kammer bei einer Atmosphäre mit weniger als 2 % Sauerstoff thermisch behandelt. Der Einfluss einer Heißdampfbehandlung auf die Schwindungs- und Quellungsvergütung wurde untersucht. Nach einer fünfstündigen Behandlung bei 230°C verbesserte sich die Dimensionsstabilität von Kernholz um 73 % und die von Splintholz um 71 %.
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Acknowledgements
This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30825034).
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Cao, Y., Lu, J., Huang, R. et al. Increased dimensional stability of Chinese fir through steam-heat treatment. Eur. J. Wood Prod. 70, 441–444 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00107-011-0570-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00107-011-0570-y