Browsing by Author "Wan, Ziran"

The objective of this thesis was to compare the effects of thermal modification under saturated steam and flowing steam on the Scots Pine and the Silver Birch, respectively. One method used in this article complied with the basic principles of traditional ThermoWood process. Treatment temperatures were chosen to be 180℃ and 200℃which are widely used in this method. Super-heated steam and flow-through system were applied in this system. Another one followed the principles as Wood Treatment technology (WTT) developed in Denmark. For this treatment, lower temperatures of 125℃ and 145℃ were applied. The treatment was conducted in a closed system with saturated steam. According to my results, modification under 125℃ saturated steam was ineffective for both Scots Pine and Silver Birch. 200℃ flowing steam is most suitable for the Silver Birch modification. While for the Scots Pine, I would recommend 145℃ saturated steam modification, because under this condition, there is a moderate bending and impact strength reduction but effective anti-swelling efficiency (ASE) improvement. The effects of thermal modification are better on the Silver Birch than the Scots Pine. Modification equipment and chosen of modified specimens need to be considered carefully as they influence the wood properties a lot. In general, mass loss as an indicator value to compare different thermal modification methods is not directly recommended.