Characterisation of wood properties & transverse anatomy for vacuum drying modelling of commercially important Australian hardwood species (Dennis Cullity Fellowship).
The objective for this fellowship was, through exposure to overseas skills and processes, to gain a better understanding of the wood properties that explain the drying behaviour of the main commercial Australian hardwoods for future development of a vacuum drying model for these species. This was achieved by utilising ‘state of the art’ equipment to acquire intrinsic wood property and transverse anatomy data at AgroParisTech – ENGREF, France.
The following research was undertaken: ESEM (environmental scanning electron microscope) scans and subsequent image analysis of each species to characterise cell morphology; DMA (dynamic mechanical analysis) analysis to investigate viscoelastic behaviour of each species in the tangential and radial directions; wood water relationship measurements on micro samples involving a highly sensitive microbalance and laser technology to accurately measure loss of moisture content in conjunction with directional shrinkage.
The species investigated were: Corymbia citriodora (spotted gum), Eucalyptus pilularis (blackbutt), Eucalyptus marginata (jarrah) and Eucalyptus obliqua (messmate).
Reference Number:
PGD100-0809
