The influence of melamine treatment in combination with thermal modification on the properties and performance of native hardwoods
von Georg Behr
Datum der mündl. Prüfung:2019-12-20
Erschienen:2020-04-30
Betreuer:Prof. Dr. Holger Militz
Gutachter:Prof. Dr. Holger Militz
Gutachter:Prof. Dr. Andreas Krause
Dateien
Name:DissVÖ_Behr__oZo_Korr_noCV_2020_04_21.pdf
Size:2.35Mb
Format:PDF
Description:Dissertation
Zusammenfassung
Englisch
The objective of this study was to improve the properties of native hardwoods and find potential new applications in exposed environments that had previously been unsuitable for most of these species. Certain properties such as the aesthetics, hardness, impact bending strength, weathering resistance, and crack susceptibility are issues of the commercially available modified wood products. It was the aim of this study to prepare potential solutions for using the readily available resource beech wood (Fagus sylvatica L.) and other hardwoods (ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.), lime (Tilia spp.) and poplar (Populus spp.)) more efficiently and expand the knowledge about impregnation modification of hardwoods with melamine resin. In this study, the curing process of melamine resin treatment was analyzed in depth first, because the properties of modified materials depend on the parameters of the treatment process. Then, thermal modification and melamine resin treatment were combined, and the resulting elasto-mechanical and weathering properties were assessed. The influence of the curing parameters of melamine resin treatment were analyzed to identify the determining factors for viable curing processes. It was also of interest if the control methods used would yield correct answers on how curing influences the material properties. Analyses with differential scanning calorimetry could be used to determine the minimum requirements of temperature and duration for complete resin curing in wood. The nitrogen content and fixation in the treated wood should give information about the quality of the incorporation of the resin in the wood matrix. The formaldehyde content and emissions should also provide information about whether the curing is complete and about the formed resin network. Scanning electron microscopy in combination with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy could be used to locate the resin in the wood matrix and the cell walls. The influence of the curing variations on the mechanical properties such as hardness, bending strength, and impact bending strength were also investigated. Furthermore, it was of interest if the melamine resin treatment could be combined with thermal modification. The mechanical properties and the weathering performance were investigated. The differential scanning calorimetry revealed to be well capable to determine the curing characteristics of melamine resin in solid beech wood. The curing reaction would onset at 110 °C and peak at 135 °C in a high-pressure crucible. The nitrogen fixation confirmed that higher temperatures and longer curing (>110 °C, 24 h) led to completely cured resin. High humidity while curing negatively influenced the fixation. The method to determine the fixation also had an effect: Leaching in cold water over a longer period gave more accurate results than extraction in hot water. Scanning electron microscopy in combination with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed an even nitrogen distribution across the cell walls of melamine-treated beech. There were more microcracks in dry-cured specimens than in steam-cured specimens. Steam curing led to slightly increased allocation of resin in the cell lumen, compared to dry curing. High humidity curing resulted in lower embrittlement and lower formaldehyde emissions than dry curing. The bending strength and hardness, however, were not influenced by the curing conditions. Treating thermally modified wood with melamine resin resulted in lower bulking after impregnation and curing. This depended on the thermal treatment intensity and was nonetheless able to increase the hardness, but not the impact bending strength. The weathering performance was positively influenced. Depending on the wood species, lesser or smaller surface cracks were observed. The embrittlement of the thermally modified wood was not influenced. Some useful control methods for the curing of melamine resin in hardwoods were established. The test results of this study should be a basis to create a long-lasting product from non-durable native hardwoods.
Keywords: wood modification; hardwood; melamine resin; thermal modification; double modification; ASE; DSC; Weathering