Treatments That Enhance Physical Properties of Wood

摘要

The report describes chemical and physical treatments of wood that enhance the strength, stiffness, water repellency, and stability of wood. Five types of treatments are described: (1) water-soluble polymers or synthetic resins that become insoluble after curing, (2) organic chemicals or cross-linking agents that bond cell wall polymers, (3) liquid monomers that polymerize in the lumen of wood cells, (4) compression of wood while heating or curing with resin, and (5) heat. Treatment methods and properties and applications of treated woods are described in the text and summarized in a table.