Effect of microwave and steam treatment on the thermo-hygro-plasticity of beech wood

The effects of microwave and steam treatment were analyzed relative to the immediate (thermo-hygro-plasticity) and post-assessed (permanent changes) properties of wood. The study was conducted using European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) standard and 1.5 times up-scaled (only for microwave-heated and reference samples) bending specimens tested in a static three-point loading mode. The specimens were plasticized by heat and moisture (1) separately and (2) simultaneously by heating moist specimens using (i) various microwave regimes in continuous mode, and (ii) heated saturated steam in discontinuous mode. Oven-dried specimens tested at 20 °C served as references. The thermo-hygro-plasticity was studied immediately after treatment, whereas the permanent changes were assessed after oven-drying of plasticized specimens to 0% moisture content. Permanent structural changes were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. Microwave treatment increased the plasticity of wood (decreasing the modulus of elasticity by 70%) comparably to steam treatment, when the output moisture content was 30% or higher. A similar degree of plasticity was found in up-scaled specimens heated by microwaves. Further analyses confirmed that microwave treatment did not cause any permanent damage to wood structure or reduce mechanical performance. The results showed that microwave treatment is an efficient alternative to steaming when plasticizing moist wood.

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