Authors: J. Costa, J. M. Branco, A. Camões

The thermal modification has proved to be an effective method to improve the durability of wood elements. Until the moment, applications of thermally modified wood (MTM) have been limited to non-structural applications, because the heat treatment leads to a significant reduction in the mechanical performance of wood. However, this heat treatment can promote the use of less used wood species in construction, as the national Eucalyptus and Pine. In order to evaluate the effect of heat treatment on the species of Pine, Eucalyptus, Beech and Ash, was held an experimental program that consisted in mechanical characterization tests (compression parallel to grain and flexion) and tests of dimensional stability (shrinkage, swelling and equilibrium moisture content (EMC)). For comparison, all tests were made with samples of non-modified and thermally modified wood. The results are consistent with the available literature, the dimensional stability increased, as well as the reduction of TAE and mechanical properties, allowing the evaluation of the thermal modification on the properties of wood species present in Portugal.

J. Costa¹| J. M. Branco² | A. Camões³
1Aluno do Programa Doutoral em Engenharia Civil, Dept de Engenharia Civil, Universidade do Minho
2ISISE, Dept Engenharia Civil, Universidade do Minho
3CTAC, Dept Engenharia Civil, Universidade do Minho, Guimarães