The results of the analysis of the chemical characteristics, color and wettability of the wood surface after 1~3 months outdoor exposure in Seoul, Korea and microstructure of wood after 2 months outdoor exposure in Seoul, Korea were conducted for thre...
The results of the analysis of the chemical characteristics, color and wettability of the wood surface after 1~3 months outdoor exposure in Seoul, Korea and microstructure of wood after 2 months outdoor exposure in Seoul, Korea were conducted for three types of softwood species and one species of tropical hardwood.
As a result of FTIR-ATR measurement, the chemical changes of the test specimens’ surfaces were investigated. the lignin derived absorption band (808(810) cm-1, 1268(1267, 1274) cm-1, 1459(1460) cm-1, 1505(1510) cm-1 and 1596(1600) cm-1) peaks were reduced and the lignin was photodegraded. There was no significant difference between the weathered wood specimens at 1 month and 3 months outdoor exposure, and there was no significant difference between the sapwood and heartwood. In the case of tropical hardwood merbau, the peak of 834 cm-1 absorption band appeared mainly in the lignin of hardwood species. In addition, the peak decrease in the 1740(1730, 1739) cm-1 absorption band, known as the fatty acid contained in the resin, was reduced by more than 1 month from the exposure period of 3 months. In the case of the extractives, It was found to be photodegraded. In addition, there was an increase in hemicellulose derived absorption bands (1055 cm-1, 1113 cm-1, and 1158 cm-1) considered to be generated by oxidation of radicals produced during the lignin photolysis process.
As a result of visually observing the color change due to natural weathering, The color change on the wood specimens’ surfaces was found to be very significant. In the 1 month of outdoor exposure, the softwood species such as radiata pine, hemlock, and douglas fir changed to dark yellow color in both of the sapwood and heartwood, and the tropical hardwood merbau showed less color change than softwood species. At 3 months of outdoor exposure, most of the specimens were dark and the color was clearly gray. As a result, it turned out to be dark yellow in 1 month after exposure and gray in 3 months after the exposure in Seoul, Korea and this color change pattern was found to be a typical natural weathering phenomenon in the literature.
The color space of CIE L*a*b* measurement showed that the change of △L* tended to decrease significantly at 1 month after exposure to radiata pine, hemlock and douglas fir and then slightly increased until 3 months. radiata pine (-16.4), douglas fir (-7.3), and hemlock (-6) showed the greatest change in the order of radiata pine. In the heartwood, brightness change variation between 1 month and 3 months was larger than that of the softwood species’ sapwood. Especially, in the case of merbau, which is originally darker in color, the variation is particularly large.
The change of △a* from red (-△a*) to green (+△a*) was found to be 1 month at outdoor exposures and decreased at 3 months to 4 species at both softwood and hardwood species, △a* changes showed differences between species, between sapwood and heartwood.
The △b* value, which indicates the change from blue (-△b*) to yellow (+△b*), changes almost in the yellow direction all of the wood specimens and its sapwood and heartwood after outdoor exposure for 1 month. 3 months later, the -△b* value increased in the sapwood and heartwood of the three species of softwood species, and tended to change in the blue direction. In particular, hemlock showed the least change by species.
The △E values indicating the overall color change were in the order of radiata pine (20.01), douglas fir (16.55) and hemlock (12.76). In the case of radiata pine, the color difference was remarkably large at 1 month after the outdoor exposure, and the color difference at 1 month and 3 months was less than that of the other wood species. The result of comparing with the heartwood showed a color difference change similar to that of the sapwood. In the case of merbau, which is a tropical hardwood species, the color difference value was larger than that of other softwood species. As the exposure period increased from 1 month to 3 months, the color difference variation was significantly larger than that of softwood species.
As a result, in the Seoul, Korea, the trends of △L*, △a*, △b* and △E values between the sapwood and heartwood were similar, but the variation of △L* and △E values was larger in heartwood. The difference in the color change due to natural weathering was found to be similar to the color change pattern of the softwood species in other regions. In this study, three types of softwood species exposed to Seoul, Korea showed rapid changes in △L*, △a*, △b*, and △E values in the 1 month after outdoor exposure. Unlike softwood species, Hardwood merbau showed △L*, △a*, △b* and △E values almost similar to those before exposure at 1 month of outdoor exposure, indicating that resistance to natural weathering in Seoul, Korea is greater than that of softwood species.
As a result of the contact angle measurement to investigate the change of wettability on the surface of wood specimens, the contact angle was drastically decreased at 1 month after outdoor exposure in all the wood specimens’ species, and the contact angle showed a gradual decrease after 3 months, showing the maximized change. These results are similar to those of the sapwood and heartwood of softwood species. The results of this study showed a rapid decrease over a short period of time compared with the results of studies conducted in other countries.
As a result of the study on the microstructural change characteristics of the main imported timber due to outdoor exposure for two months in Seoul, Korea, deterioration occurred in the middle lamella part of the earlywood and latewood of the softwood species’ cross section. It was observed that the cell was distorted and the cell arrangement was irregularly deformed, and that the photodegradation phenomenon of the lignin component due to the weathering was deepened. In addition, the separation of epithelial cells surrounding the resin canal, the disappearance of resin materials, and the membrane separation phenomenon, which is assumed to be the primary wall or S1 layer of tracheid, were observed. In the tropical hardwood merbau, thinning of the cell wall, microcracks, irregular deformation of the wood fiber arrangement and tylosis erosion of the lumen of vessel were observed.
In the tangential section, the photodegradation of the middle lamella of the ray tracheid was observed, and the phenomenon such as thinning and collapsing of the cell wall and erosion of the middle lamella between the radial trachied and ray parenchyma were observed. In addition, cracks in the S2 layer around the bordered pits, and separation of the cell wall and resin material around the radial resin canal, and vanishing of the helical thickening of the inner cell wall were also observed. In the tropical hardwood merbau, the cell wall was thinned due to the middle lamella deterioration of the cells in the biseriate ray, and the cell arrangement of the ray was scattered, suggesting the photodegradation of the lignin component. However, in the case of merbau, calcium crystals was buried with the cell wall before weathering but exposed to cell wall surface after outdoor exposure.