Variations in physical and mechanical properties between tension and opposite wood from three tropical rainforest species

Growth strains were measured in situ in nine trees of three species from a French Guiana tropical rainforest in a clearly active verticality restoration process. The aim was to detect tension wood within the samples. Wood specimens were cut in the vicinity of the growth strain measurements in order to determine the microfibril angle and some mechanical and physical properties. As suspected, tensile growth strain was much higher in tension wood zones, as shown by the slightly higher longitudinal modulus of elasticity. Conversely, tension wood showed reduced compression strength. Longitudinal shrinkage was much higher in tension wood than in opposite wood. Clear relationships between the microfibril angle and longitudinal properties were noted in comparison (i) with those observed in gymnosperm compression wood and (ii) with expected relationships from the organization of wood fibres cell wall structure.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Ruelle, Julien, Beauchêne, Jacques, Yamamoto, Hiroyuki, Thibaut, Bernard
Format:	article biblioteca
Language:	eng
Subjects:	K50 - Technologie des produits forestiers, F62 - Physiologie végétale - Croissance et développement, F50 - Anatomie et morphologie des plantes, forêt tropicale humide, bois, propriété mécanique, propriété physicochimique, anatomie végétale, bois tropical, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_7976, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_8421, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_4683, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_1521, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_5954, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_293007aa, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_3093, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_3081,
Online Access:	http://agritrop.cirad.fr/562996/ http://agritrop.cirad.fr/562996/1/document_562996.pdf
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