The effects of heat treatment on the mechanical properties of eucalyptus (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) wood and changes in physical properties

Heat treatment is often used to improve the dimensional stability of wood and wood products. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of heat treatment on the mechanical and physical properties of eucalyptus wood. Wood samples were exposed to temperature levels of 130, 160 and 190 ˚C for time spans ranging from 3 to 9 hour. Mechanical properties including compression strength parallel to grain, compression strength perpendicular to grain, bending strength, modulus of elasticity in bending, janka-hardness and shear strength and physical properties including oven-dry density and swelling of heat-treated samples were determined. The results showed that the values of density and swelling decreased with increasing temperature treatment and treatment times. Also the results indicated that treated samples had lower mechanical properties compared to the control samples. In addition, increase in temperature and durations decreased the mechanical properties.