e-ISSN 2231-8542
ISSN 1511-3701
Bakar, E. S., Tahir, P. M., Sahri, M. H., Mohd Noor, M. S., and Zulkifli, F. F.
Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science, Volume 36, Issue S, December 2013
Keywords: Elais guineensis, oil palm wood, wood modification, properties enhancement, impregnation-compression method
Published on:
Oil palm wood (OPW) was treated with medium-molecular weight PF resin (mmw-PF) through a modified impregnation-compression method. The method consists of four steps, namely, drying, impregnation, heating, and hot pressing densification. The objective of the study was to optimize the impregnation variables. The overall density of the OPW increased, whereas the density gradient between the two OPW structural elements (namely, parenchyma tissues and vascular bundles) decreased. The weight percent gain (WPG) significantly increased even with a very short impregnation period (i.e. 1 hour). Young`s Modulus of the compression parallel to the grain increased by 15 times (from 170 to 2600 MPa) and the shear strength increased by 7 times (from 1.9 to 13 MPa). The strength of the samples was increased exponentially against density increment. The treatment also made the two OPW structural elements to be strongly bonded that helped in enhancing the durability and machining characteristics of the material.
ISSN 1511-3701
e-ISSN 2231-8542