Physical and Mechanical Characteristics of a Pine Thermowood Composition during Barothermal Treatment

The studies are aimed at forming ideas on the structure and properties of composite materials obtained from pine wood and the processes occurring in the structure of wood tissue. The article presents the data on the influence of the conditions of barothermal treatment of pine wood samples by the method of explosive autohydrolysis on the properties of a thermowood composition. The composite material is obtained by hot pressing. The influence on density, strength and hydrophobic characteristics was studied. A series of samples was made under different conditions of the explosive autohydrolysis rigidity factor; at a temperature of 200 °C and the process duration from 0.08 to 10 min. All samples of composite material were obtained without the use of additional components. It was found that the increase in the hydrolysis rigidity factor leads to a decrease in the density of hydrolyzed wood from 440 to ~350 kg/m3. There is no fragmentation of wood samples with the selected processing parameters. Hot pressing of hydrolyzed wood obtained under conditions of low or moderate rigidity is accompanied by a linear increase in the density of the thermowood composite material from ~440 to 500 kg/m3. The consequence of a further increase in the rigidity factor is a slowdown in the rate of increase in the density of the composite material. The conditional boundary that determines the achievement of the maximum number of cross-linked intermolecular structures in the composite material corresponds to the rigidity factor of 3000–4500 min. More rigid processing conditions cause intensification of thermal degradation processes. The dependence of hydrophobic characteristics on the rigidity of the barothermal treatment conditions is complex. At the rigidity factor of 1000–3000 min, an extreme point is observed, before which the hydrophobic properties of the material deteriorate. Its water absorption and swelling increase from 50 to 130 % and from 15 to 54 %, respectively. The hydrophobic performance is significantly improved after reaching the extreme point. Water absorption and swelling reduce to ~20 % and ~10 %, respectively. Mild hydrolysis conditions do not result in a material with consistently high hydrophobic properties. The cross-linked structures are not enough to form a strong and water-resistant composition, and as a consequence, the hydrophobic characteristics deteriorate. Increasing the value of the hydrolysis rigidity factor increases the number of active components. Additional intermolecular bonds formed during pressing improve hydrophobic characteristics. The obtained results can be used in the creation of models of processes occurring in the structure of lignocellulose substance during explosive autohydrolysis and in the preparation of composite materials based on it. Optimal parameters of barothermal treatment for obtaining composite materials with specified physical and mechanical characteristics can be determined. Barothermal treatment of solid pine wood by explosive autohydrolysis contributes to the occurrence of chemically active components in the structure of wood tissue. Their number depends on the rigidity of the processing conditions. The properties of the resulting thermowood composition depend on the conditions of explosive autohydrolysis.