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【Science Popularization】Understanding Wood Raw Materials: Timber
Nov 29,2025
Wood is one of the most important renewable materials in nature and the most basic and crucial raw material in the production of engineered wood products. The structure, properties, and chemical composition of wood all affect the strength, stability, and lifespan of the final product. This news article will give you a quick overview of the core knowledge of wood raw materials.
The basic structure of wood: a natural and intricate "miniature architecture"
The interior of wood is composed of various cells, including wood fibers, vessels, tracheids, and rays. These cells together form the stable and lightweight structure of wood, giving it excellent strength, toughness, and workability. Some tree species also contain resin ducts, which store resin and enhance the wood's durability.
Physical properties of wood: density and moisture affect processing performance
1. Density affects strength and processability
Higher wood density generally means greater strength, but it also reduces compressibility and increases processing difficulty. Therefore, different density grades of wood are selected for boards intended for different uses to ensure both strength and ease of processing.
2. Moisture affects plasticity and energy consumption
The moisture in wood includes free water and adsorbed water. An appropriate moisture content is helpful for processing such as rotary cutting and chipping, and improves the plasticity of wood; however, too much moisture will increase drying time and energy consumption, so the moisture content is strictly controlled in production.
The mechanical properties of wood are: strongest along the grain, weakest across the grain.
Wood exhibits significant anisotropy—its strength is highest along the fiber direction and significantly weakens in the transverse direction. Wood also possesses viscoelasticity, meaning it can both elastically recover from stress and deform over time. These properties are closely related to the load-bearing capacity and stability of the final board material.
Chemical composition of wood: affecting gluing, water resistance and processing properties
Wood is primarily composed of three parts:
Cellulose: Provides the wood's framework and strength.
Hemicellulose: Absorbs water easily, affecting dimensional stability.
Lignin: Acts like natural glue, enhancing cell wall rigidity.
In addition, extractives such as resins, waxes, and oils reduce adhesive adhesion and decrease bond strength, but simultaneously enhance the board's water resistance. Furthermore, the acidity or alkalinity of the wood also affects the adhesive's curing reaction, thus influencing the final bond quality.
Understanding wood lays the foundation for high-quality engineered wood products; the structure and properties of wood determine the performance of engineered wood products. From density and moisture content to strength along the grain and chemical composition, each characteristic affects the strength, stability, and durability of the board. Scientifically controlling wood raw materials is the first step in producing high-quality engineered wood products.
In the future, we will continue to publish more professional science popularization articles related to wood science and engineered wood product manufacturing processes on our official website, allowing more readers to understand the technological power behind green building materials.
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