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Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata [Lamb.] Hook.) is a widely planted species of plantation forest in China, and heat treatment can improve its dimensional stability defects and improve its performance. The wood samples were heat-treated at various temperatures (160, 180, 200, and 220 °C) for 2 h. To clarify the effect of heat treatment on wood hygroscopicity, the equilibrium moisture content (EMC) was measured, the moisture adsorption and desorption rates were determined, the hygroscopic hysteresis was examined, and the Guggenheim, Anderson, and de Boer (GAB) model was fitted to the experimental data. The moisture absorption isotherms of all samples belonged to the Type II adsorption isotherm, but the shape of the desorption isotherm was more linear for heat-treated wood samples, especially when the heat treatment temperature was higher. According to the results analyzed with ANOVA, there were significant differences in equilibrium moisture content between the control samples and the heat-treated samples under the conditions of 30%, 60%, and 95% relative humidity (RH, p < 0.05), and the results of multiple comparisons were similar. The decrease in hygroscopicity was more pronounced in wood treated at higher temperatures. The EMC of the 160–220 °C heat-treated samples of the control samples was 14.00%, 22.37%, 28.95%, and 39.63% lower than that of the control sample at 95% RH. Under low RH conditions (30%), water is taken up mainly via monolayer sorption, and multilayer sorption gradually predominates over monolayer sorption with the increase in RH. The dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) analysis indicated that the heat-treated wood revealed an increase in isotherm hysteresis, which was due to the change in cell wall chemical components and microstructure caused by heat treatment. In addition, the effective specific surface area of wood samples decreased significantly after heat treatment, and the change trend was similar to that of equilibrium moisture content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature and time dependence of orthotropic viscoelastic properties for Chinese fir wood (Cunninghamia lanceolata) were investigated in tensile mode. The storage modulus (E′) and loss modulus (E″) of the longitudinal (L), radial (R) and tangential (T) specimens with adsorbed water were determined during temperature increasing period ranging from 30°C to 103°C and at a constant temperature of 103°C for 480 min. The desorption of adsorbed water provided space for the rearrangement of hydrogen bonds (RHB) within the polymer networks and caused mechano-sorptive (MS) effect. During the temperature increasing period, the MS effect increased first and following decreased for all specimens, except for the T specimens with 7.2% moisture content. In a constant temperature process, elevated stiffness and decreased damping were observed in all orthotropic directions, which suggested that the RHB effect was prominent than the dual effects of the MS and heating. Compared to the L specimens, the multi-effects of the heating, RHB and MS exerted more influence on the R and T specimens. Meanwhile, the unstable state within wood cell walls in the R and T specimens was more pronounced than that in the L specimens. Furthermore, the transverse specimens were affected by temperature to a higher degree than that of the L specimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differences in the orthotropic viscoelastic properties of Chinese fir wood (Cunninghamia lanceolata) during cooling and heating variations were investigated in the temperature range between −120°C and 25°C. The stiffness and damping of the longitudinal (L), radial (R), and tangential (T) specimens were determined for five equilibrium moisture content (EMC) levels ranging from 0.6% to 25.2%. Results showed that the tensile storage modulus (E′) values in the cooling run were lower than those in the heating run at each temperature, regardless of the grain orientation and EMC level. The absolute value of the changing rate of E′ (|ΔE′|) in the cooling run was more pronounced than that in the heating run. The values of |ΔE′| demonstrated an anisotropy at all EMC levels, while the |ΔE′| of L specimens were lower than that of transverse specimens. Compared to per unit temperature, per unit moisture content exerted more influence on the stiffness of specimens. The γ-relaxation was observed in the loss modulus (E′′) and loss factor (tanδ) temperature spectrum. The γ-relaxation peak temperature in the E″ temperature spectrum was lower than that in the tanδ spectrum. The γ-relaxation peak temperature in the cooling run was lower than that in the heating run, irrespective of the grain orientation. Furthermore, the γ-relaxation peak temperature shifted to a lower temperature range with an increasing amount of adsorbed water, independent of cooling and heating runs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shrinking and swelling of wood due to moisture changes are intrinsic material properties that control and limit the use of wood in many applications. Herein, hygroscopic deformations of normal and compression wood of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata [Lamb.] Hook.) were measured during desorption and absorption processes. The dimensional changes were observed in situ by an environmental scanning electron microscope and analyzed at different hierarchical levels (tissue, cell and cell wall). The relationship between moisture variation and hygroscopic deformation was measured. During initial desorption periods from 95 to 90 or 75% RH, an expansion of the lumen and a shrinkage of the cell wall were observed, revealing a non-uniform and directional deformation of single wood cells. The variation of shrinking or swelling at different hierarchical levels (tissue, cell and cell wall) indicates that the hygroscopic middle lamella plays a role in the deformation at the tissue level. Higher microfibril angles and helical cavities on the cell wall in compression wood correlate with a lower shrinking/swelling ratio. Normal wood showed a more pronounced swelling hysteresis than compression wood, while the sorption hysteresis was almost the same for both wood types. This finding is helpful to elucidate effects of micro- and ultrastructure on sorption. The present findings suggest that the sophisticated system of wood has the abilities to adjust the hygroscopic deformations by fine-tuning its hierarchical structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compression combined with steam (CS) treatment is postulated to be an environmentally friendly and efficient modification method to improve the dimensional stability, durability, and mechanical strength of wood. The influences of CS treatment with different radial compression ratios (RCRs) (25% and 50%) and different steam temperatures (140, 160 and 180°C) on chemical components, porosity, and hygroscopicity of earlywood and latewood in Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.) were investigated respectively on a cellular level by imaging Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) microscopy, Confocal Raman Microscopy (CRM), nitrogen adsorption and dynamic vapor sorption (DVS). The results indicated that the degradation of carbonyl groups of the glucuronic acid component of xylan in earlywood and latewood was mainly responsible for the low hygroscopicity of CS-treated wood. Also, a significant decrease in the amount of C=O and C=C linked to the lignin aromatic skeleton involved in either crosslinking reactions or the degradation reactions could be another contributor to the reduction in wood hygroscopicity. CS-treated wood with a steam temperature of 180°C possessed a lower hygroscopicity that correlated well with the depolymerization of crystalline and amorphous cellulose. A more deformed structure of CS-treated wood led to the formation of greater amounts of mesopores in the cell walls, which could lead to increased degradation of the chemical components of wood cell walls. Furthermore, a higher equilibrium moisture content (EMC) level was found for CS-treated wood with a 50% compression ratio compared to a 25% compression ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the orthotropic viscoelasticity of Chinese fir wood (Cunninghamia lanceolata [Lamb.] Hook) was investigated during the temperature ramping process. The storage modulus (E′) and loss modulus (E″) of longitudinal (L), radial (R), and tangential (T) specimens with six levels of moisture content (MC) ranging from 0.6 to 22.0% were determined form 20 to 280 °C. The change in E′ was influenced by the dual effects of temperature and MC; the loss of adsorbed water in the wood cell wall caused an increase in wood stiffness. The individual decline in E′ was affected by heating to different degrees and the heating exerted more influence on the transverse specimens and less contribution to the L specimens. Different relaxation processes of E′′ were observed in specimens with different MCs in the three main directions, indicating that the mechanical relaxation of wood was affected by its MC and microstructure. The β and γ-relaxation processes exhibited a conjointly circular arc shape in the transverse directions, which was attributed to the superposition of the transitions of lignin and hemicellulose. A higher α-loss peak temperature (α-TLP) and intensity of the α-relaxation process were observed in the L specimens than the transverse specimens. The β-TLP and γ-TLP decreased with increasing MC in all orthotropic directions, whereas the individual decline in TLP was affected differently by MC. In the β-relaxation process, the TLP was more sensitive to MC changes in the L direction than in the transverse directions. In addition, the individual TLP in the R and T directions was influenced by per unit adsorbed water to a similar degree for the β and γ-relaxation processes. These findings suggest that the difference in the orthotropic viscoelastic performance might cause some drying defects during the water loss process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An understanding of wood's moisture-dependent viscoelastic properties under various temperature conditions is important for assessing its utilization and product quality. In this study, we investigated the influence of moisture content (MC) on the orthotropic viscoelasticity of Chinese fir wood (Cunninghamia lanceolata [Lamb.] Hook.) during quenching ranging from 20 to −120°C. The storage modulus (E′) and loss factor (tan δ) of the longitudinal (L), radial (R) and tangential (T) specimens were determined for nine MC levels ranging from 0.6 to 60.0%. The results showed that E′ generally decreased with increasing amount of bound water in all orthotropic directions, regardless of the temperature. In contrast, a sharp increase in E′ was observed at temperatures below 0°C when free water was present, due to the formation of ice within the cell lumens. The γ-relaxation and β-relaxation were observed in the temperature spectrum. A comparison demonstrates that the β-relaxation showed evident grain orientation. When only bound water was present in the wood cell wall, one clear γ-relaxation was found for all orthotropic directions. In contrast, only the high-temperature side of the γ-relaxation was observed in the three anatomic directions in specimens with free water, which might be related to the amorphous wood cell wall coupling with the frozen free water during the quenching process. In addition, the differences in peak temperatures of the γ-relaxation among the three main directions diminished with increasing bound water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat treatment is an environmentally friendly method that improves the moisture-resistant properties and increases the service life of timber. In this work, Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata [Lamb.] Hook.) wood was heat-treated in a chamber with steam at temperatures of 160, 180, 200 and 220 °C for 2 h, and the absorption of water was studied by gravimetric analysis and time domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR). The results show that both the amount of bound water and free water decreased with the increasing treatment temperature. The water absorption of wood in the radial direction was faster than that in the tangential direction due to the existence of rays, and this difference remained after the heat treatment. The heat treatment at 220 °C had a significant effect on water absorption in the tangential direction of wood, and the moisture content (MC) was approximately 20% lower than that of samples absorbing water in the radial direction. T2 (spin–spin relaxation time) distributions showed two main components which were associated with bound water and free water, and for samples absorbing water in the radial or tangential direction, there was only a difference in the amount of free water. The amount of free water significantly decreased for the samples that were heat-treated at 220 °C and absorbed water in the tangential direction, indicating that the high-temperature heat-treated samples tended to close the pits in wood cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]