High-value wood veneer is used in furniture and automobile interior industry for decorative purposes. Due to mechanical restrictions veneer application on surfaces is limited to simple shapes. During the last centuries, many approaches were developed to improve the moulding behaviour of veneer. Yet, all processes face several difficulties. So far, mainly water is used for veneer plasticization with the disadvantage of shrinkage and cracks due to drying. Furthermore, products often fail during material climate testing due to set-recovery. Thus, the aim of the present project was a veneer modification process combining plasticization, moulding, and shape fixation of veneer with reduced set-recovery. For that, veneers are impregnated with furfuryl alcohol/maleic anhydride solutions to improve plasticization and moulding properties. Subsequently, veneers are moulded and the realized shapes are fixed by a temperature induced acid-catalyzed polymerization. Due to the polymer in the cell wall, set-recovery of all modified samples could be noticeably reduced compared to reference samples plasticized with water prior to moulding. The degree of set-recovery reduction due to modification varies with the modification intensity. Samples with higher weight percentage gain (WPG=126.4 %) are more stable to moisture than samples with lower polymer yields (WPG=107.4 %).
Keywords: Furfuryl alcohol, Moulded wood veneer, Shape retention
Authors
Pfriem A.
Department of Wood Science and Technology, University For Sustainable Development – University of Applied Sciences, Eberswalde
Herold N.
Department of Wood Science and Technology, University For Sustainable Development – University of Applied Sciences, Eberswalde
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