Influence of Pressing Temperatures on Physical-Mechanical Properties of Wood Particleboards Made with Urea-Formaldehyde Adhesive Containing Al2O3 and CuO Nanoparticles.

Particleboards have gained attention in the global market. Understanding their physical-mechanical behavior in the current technological context is essential due to adhesive polymerization, which depends on variables such as pressing time and temperature. Today, the use of nanoparticles has become a plausible option for improving the properties of polymers used in wood-based composites. This study evaluates the influences of the addition of non-commercial 0.5% aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and aluminum oxide copper (CuO) nanoparticles using a greener route with a lower environmental impact obtaining a urea-formaldehyde (UF)-based polymeric adhesive to manufacture particle composites of Eucalyptus urophylla var. grandis wood. Regarding characterizations, the resin properties analyzed were viscosity, gel time, and pH, as well as panel properties, including density, moisture content, thickness swelling, modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture, and thermal conductivity. The results were compared with scientific publications and standards. The addition of nanoparticles interfered with viscosity, and all treatments indicated a basic pH. It was not possible to determine the gel time after 10 min. Nanoparticles added to the polymers in the internal layer did not cause an improvement in the swelling properties in terms of thickness, with no significant statistical difference for density and moisture content. The increase from 150 °C to 180 °C may have caused an improvement in all physical-mechanical properties, indicating that the higher temperature positively influenced the polymerization of the formaldehyde-based adhesive. Therefore, the additions of both nanoparticles (0.5% in each condition) led to a limitation in the material influence with respect to physical-mechanical performance.

Residual Mechanical Properties and Durability of High-Strength Concrete with Polypropylene Fibers in High Temperatures.

Investigations into the fire resistance of high-strength concrete (HSC) is extremely important to optimize structural design in construction engineering. This work describes the influence of polypropylene fibers on the mechanical properties and durability of HSC at high temperatures (25, 100, 200, 400, 600 and 800 °C). HSC specimens with 2 kg/m3 composed of polypropylene fibers are tested in a temperature range of 25 to 800 °C, followed by microstructural analysis. In addition, a statistical analysis is designed to identify the effect of factors, namely temperature and polypropylene fibers, and their interactions on mechanical properties and water absorption, electrical resistivity, mass loss and ultrasonic velocity. Most of the properties are improved by the incorporation of fibers, obtaining highly predictable regression models. However, the polypropylene fibers reduce compressive strength but improve the residual mechanical properties up to 400 °C.

Sixteen properties of Eucalyptus Tereticornis wood for structural uses / Dezesseis propriedades da madeira de Eucalyptus Tereticornis para usos estruturais

Forest Red Gum eucalypt provides a versatile wood and is converted into different purposes. However, such wood is somewhat limited in structural ends, which highlights the need to exploit this gap through diffusion of mechanical properties of suchtimber. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of moisture content reduction, from 30 to 12%, in physical and mechanical properties of Eucalyptus tereticornis, using Brazilian and American documents, to reinforce the structural potential wood and assisting engineers and architects in decision-making for its best building application. We evaluated two physical and fourteen mechanical properties of Eucalyptus tereticornis at two different moisture contents, following the prescriptions of Brazilian (ABNT NBR 7190: 1997) and North American (ASTM D-143-14: 2014) standards. Thus, 1091 repeats were carried out for all properties. By a moisture reduction, the bulk density and eleven strength properties statistically showed changes such as modulus of rupture (static bending, parallel and perpendicular compressions), modulus of elasticity (perpendicular compression and static bending), shear stress, tangential cleavage, and parallel and perpendicular hardnesses. Then, the Eucalyptus tereticornis timber could be better usable if is further applied for structural construction uses.

Eucalipto de goma vermelha prove uma madeira versátil e é convertido para diferentes propósitos. Porém, essa madeira é um pouco limitada para fins estruturais, o que destaca a necessidade de explorar essa lacuna mediante à difusão das propriedades mecânicas de tal madeira. Os resultados obtidos deverão auxiliar os engenheiros e arquitetos na tomada de decisão para a sua melhor aplicação construtiva. Esse artigo estudou a avaliação de duas propriedades físicas e catorze propriedades mecânicas do Eucalyptus tereticornis em dois teores de umidade, seguindo as prescrições dos documentos normativos brasileiro (ABNT NBR 7190: 1997) e norte-americano (ASTM D-143-14: 2014). Assim, 1091 repetições foram conduzidas para todas essas propriedades. Pela redução de umidade de 30% para 12%, a densidade aparente e onze propriedades de resistência demonstraram estatisticamente mudanças, tais como módulos de ruptura (flexão estática ecompressões paralela e perpendicular), módulos de elasticidade (compressão perpendicular e flexão estática), cisalhamento, fendilhamento e as durezas perpendicular e paralela. Então, a madeira de Eucalyptus tereticornispoderia ser melhor utilizável se for também aplicada para usos construtivos estruturais.

Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of industrial pine roundwood production in Brazilian forests.

Pine (Pinus oocarpa) wood has great economic importance in Brazil. Pine stands represent the second largest reforested area in the country due to their industrial interest. Combining the relevance of industrial pine stands in the country and corresponding environmental concerns, this current study aims to identify and quantify the environmental impacts derived from industrial pine roundwood production in Brazil. The environmental study was developed considering the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology according to ISO14040 framework. The study convers the life cycle of pine roundwood production from cradle-to-forest gate perspective and considers the current practices in the country. The production system was divided in five main stages: Soil preparation, seedlings plantation, forest management, forest harvesting and infrastructure establishment. The environmental profile was estimated considering characterization factors from the ReCiPe method, in terms of twelve impact categories. According to the results, forest harvesting stage was identified as the environmental hotspot being the main responsible of contributions to nine impact categories under assessment with contributing ratios ranging from 21% (e.g., freshwater eutrophication) to 76% (e.g., photochemical oxidants formation). The high amount of fossil fuel required by heavy machinery used in the activities involved in this stage is behind this result. Soil preparation stage reported also an outstanding contribution in categories such as freshwater eutrophication (37%) and toxicity related categories (≈35%). The rationale behind these contributions is associated with the use of chemical fertilizers, mostly superphosphate. The identification of the environmental hotspots in forest biomass production can assist the Brazilian forest practitioners to improve the environmental profile by means of the optimization of forest practices.

Painéis de partículas de madeira leucena e resina poliuretana derivada de óleo de mamona / Particleboard manufactured with leucena wood and polyurethane resin castor oil based

O presente trabalho objetivou avaliar as características físico mecânicas de chapas aglomeradas com partículas de leucena (Leucaena leucocephala) e resina poliuretana derivada de óleo de mamona, sendo investigados o módulo de resistência à flexão (MOR), adesão interna (AI), densidade aparente (d ap) e teor de umidade (u m). Os experimentos foram desenvolvidos com base nos procedimentos metodológicos da norma brasileira ABNT NBR 14810:2002. As chapas foram confeccionadas com pressão de compactação de 4MPa, temperatura de 90°C, partículas com 5% de teor de umidade e adição de 10% de resina poliuretana monocomponente e bicomponente derivadas de óleo de mamona. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que as densidades aparentes obtidas foram superiores às recomendadas pela norma brasileira, sendo os painéis confeccionados com resina bicomponente 22,67% superiores ao limite superior estabelecido pela normatização técnica brasileira. Os painéis confeccionados com resina poliuretana monocomponente apresentaram os maiores valores para o teor de umidade. O módulo de resistência à flexão dos painéis fabricados com resina bicomponente mostrou ser 43,7% superior ao valor definido pela norma. A adesão interna dos painéis fabricados com resina monocomponente foi 2,5 vezes superior ao valor estipulado pela norma. Do intervalo de confiança entre médias para as resinas mono e bicomponente, apenas a adesão interna e densidade apresentaram equivalência estatística. Os coeficientes de determinação obtidos das regressões entre a adesão interna e densidade para ambas as resinas validaram o modelo de ajuste linear, sendo possível estimar a adesão interna com o conhecimento da densidade aparente das chapas.

This research aimed to test particleboard with leucena (Leucaena leucocephala) wood particles and polyurethane resin castor oil based. The response variables are: modulus of rupture (MOR), internal adhesion (AI), apparent density (d ap) and wood moisture content (u m). The experiments were developed based on the methodological procedures of the ABNT NBR 14810:2002 standard. The particleboards were manufactured by hot-pressing at 4MPa and 90°C, using timber particles with 5% of moisture content and 10% of monocomponent and bicomponent polyurethane resin. The higher moisture content was achieved when the monocomponent polyurethane resin was used. The bicomponent polyurethane resin provided a percent increase of 43.7% and 22.7% on the modulus of rupture and apparent density, respectively, when compared to the standard limit. The internal adhesion of the panels manufactured with monocomponent resin was 2.45 times higher than the standard limit. The confidence interval between means revealed that the internal adhesion and apparent density exhibited statistical equivalence. A good correlation between the internal adhesion and apparent density was found, for this reason it was possible to estimate the internal adhesion of the panels based on the apparent density data.

Metodologia para o cálculo dos módulos de elasticidade longitudinal e transversal em vigas de madeira de dimensões estruturais / Methodology used to determine the shear and longitudinal modulus of elasticity in timber beams

Este trabalhou objetiva apresentar uma metodologia analítica para o cálculo dos módulos de elasticidade longitudinal (E) e transversal (G) em vigas de madeira de dimensões estruturais, segundo o emprego das teorias de vigas de Euler Bernoulli e Timoshenko, sendo utilizado o ensaio de flexão estática a três pontos. As madeiras testadas foram o Pinus elliottii e a Corymbia citriodora. Os resultados encontrados relevaram ser o módulo de elasticidade longitudinal 18,70 vezes superior ao módulo transversal do Pinus elliottii e 21,2 superior ao módulo transversal do Corymbia citriodora, sendo estes compatíveis quando comparada a relação entre E e G estabelecida pela norma Brasileira ABNT NBR 7190:1997 (Projeto de Estruturas de Madeira), que define ser o módulo de elasticidade longitudinal vinte vezes superior ao transversal.

This paper proposed a test method to obtain the shear (G) and longitudinal (E) modulus of elasticity in timber beams with structural dimensions, based on the static three-points bending tests and the Euler Bernoulli and Timoshenko beams theories. The woods tested were the Corymbia citriodora and Pinus elliottii. The results revealed that the longitudinal modulus of elasticity of Pinus elliottii is 18.70 greater than the shear modulus, and 21.16 greater than the shear modulus of Corymbia citriodora, being consistent this results when compared to the proposed by the Brazilian standard ABNT NBR 7190:1997 (Design of Wood Structures), being the longitudinal modulus of elasticity twenty times greater than the shear modulus.