Physical and mechanical properties of wood impregnated with quebracho and boron compounds

DOI: 10.26650/forestist.2019.041645 In recent years, alternative natural impregnation materials are being sought as substitutes for chemical impregnation materials used for conserving wooden materials; therefore, such natural materials have acquired significance in the forest products industry. In this study, the boron compounds borax and boric acid, which are abundant raw materials in Turkey, and quebracho, a natural impregnation material, were used. For the impregnation process, aqueous solutions of 1%, 3%, and 5% boron compounds were utilized. The test samples were impregnated according to ASTM D 1413-76 principles. Oven-dry density, retention rate, bending strength, elastic modulus, compression strength parallel to fibers, bonding strength parallel to fibers, and screw holding strength tests of the impregnated samples were measured, and the results were compared with those of control samples. The retention, oven-dry density, comprehension parallel to fibers, and screw holding strength of the samples were found to be higher than those of the control samples, whereas bending strength, elastic modulus, and bonding strength parallel to fibers were lower. After impregnation, it was observed that there was a decline in strength values and a rise in retention rates with the increase in the concentrations of boron compounds. The values for samples impregnated with borax were higher than those for the samples impregnated with boric acid