ABSTRACT

Plantation-grown Eucalyptus pellita in Sabah, Malaysia, was analysed for compression and flexural properties to assess the potential for solid-timber and engineered wood product end uses. It is necessary to consider not only the volume of wood produced in a plantation but also the wood quality, particularly those aspects important for end-product performance. Tree volume is readily measured from height and diameter at breast height using appropriate form factors. This paper discusses the compression, strength and stiffness of E. pellita compared with tropical hardwood species, and variation within trees and at different ages (7–23 years). Small clearwood test samples obtained from radial positions within log heights were subjected to analysis of compression parallel to grain and three-point bending according to ISO 13061-4, 2014. Results indicate that plantation-grown E. pellita in the tropics has potential for structural-use applications. The average basic density across the trials was 658 kg m⁻³, while the bending strength for all trials was in the range of 11.7–15.5 GPa for modulus of elasticity and 96.3−120.1 MPa for modulus of rupture, and the compression strength parallel to grain ranged from 52.3 to 67.8 MPa. Mean mechanical strength increased from pith to bark and from the butt log to the top log. Because the wood-processing sector in Malaysia is transitioning from reliance on a harvest of mixed tropical hardwood towards plantation-grown species, these results indicate that plantation-grown E. pellita meets the structural requirements of strength and stiffness.

摘要

分析了马来西亚沙巴州种植的Eucalyptus pellita的压缩和弯曲特性，以评估实木和工程木产品最终用途的潜力。不仅要考虑种植园生产的木材量，还要考虑木材质量，尤其是对最终产品性能很重要的那些方面。使用适当的形状因子，可以根据胸高处的高度和直径轻松测量树木体积。本文讨论了E. pellita的压缩、强度和刚度与热带硬木树种相比，以及树内和不同年龄（7-23 年）的变化。根据 2014 年 ISO 13061-4，对从原木高度内的径向位置获得的小型纯木测试样品进行平行于纹理的压缩和三点弯曲分析。结果表明，在热带种植园种植的E. pellita具有用于结构的潜力- 使用应用程序。整个试验的平均基本密度为 658 kg m ^-3，而所有试验的弯曲强度的弹性模量在 11.7-15.5 GPa 范围内，断裂模量在 96.3-120.1 MPa 范围内，平行于纹理的压缩强度范围为 52.3-67.8 MPa。从髓到树皮，从对接原木到顶部原木，平均机械强度增加。由于马来西亚的木材加工部门正在从依赖混合热带硬木的收获转向种植园种植的物种，这些结果表明种植园种植的E. pellita满足强度和刚度的结构要求。