The Effect of Different Densification Levels on the Mechanical Properties of Southern Yellow Pine

Suman Pradhan, Aadarsha Lamichhane, Dalila Belaidi and Mostafa Mohammadabadi ()
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Suman Pradhan: Department of Sustainable Bioproducts, Forest and Wildlife Research Center (FWRC), College of Forest Resources (CFR), Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Aadarsha Lamichhane: Department of Sustainable Bioproducts, Forest and Wildlife Research Center (FWRC), College of Forest Resources (CFR), Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Dalila Belaidi: Department of Sustainable Bioproducts, Forest and Wildlife Research Center (FWRC), College of Forest Resources (CFR), Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Mostafa Mohammadabadi: Department of Sustainable Bioproducts, Forest and Wildlife Research Center (FWRC), College of Forest Resources (CFR), Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 15, 1-11

Abstract: Plantations, typically involving the cultivation of fast-growing trees like southern yellow pine, offer avenues to enhance sustainability and manage limited resources more effectively. However, fast-growing trees suffer from low mechanical properties due to less dense wood. Densification and the development of engineered wood products represent approaches to developing high-performance products from fast-growing tree species. In this study, the correlation between the densification levels and mechanical properties of a fast-growing species, loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda L.), was established to improve resource utilization. Wood specimens were densified at three compression ratios: 16.67%, 33.33%, and 50.00%. The impact of densification levels on bending strength, bending stiffness, shear strength, and hardness was studied. The findings highlighted the positive impact of densification on structural integrity, as bending stiffness consistently improved, eventually reaching a 42% enhancement at a compression ratio of 50.00%. However, bending strength showed an initial increasing trend but reached a plateau at higher densification levels. Densification levels showed minimal changes in shear strength parallel to the grain. Notably, densification significantly enhanced hardness properties, particularly on the tangential surface, where a fourfold increase was observed at a 50% compression ratio. Overall, these findings reveal the relation between the compression ratio and the mechanical properties of lumber and are beneficial for utilizing lower-quality wood species in construction and engineering applications.

Keywords: thermo-hydro-mechanical densification; loblolly pine; bending test; shear strength; hardness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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