Dimensional stability of heat treated scots pine and oriental beech.

Heat treatment is one of the processes used to modify the properties of wood due to its better moisture resistance and increased dimensional stability. The aim of this work was to define thickness, density, swelling and shrinkage properties of heat treated wood of two wood speciesScots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky.) compared to not treated control samples. The material was treated at three temperature levels, 120, 160 and 210°C, and two different duration (2 and 6 hours) in inert (nitrogen) environment. After heat treatment, treated and control samples were conditioned at 20 ± 2oC and 65% (±5%) relative humidity (RH). The thickness, swelling and shrinkage tests were applied with TS 4083 4084 4085 and 4086 (1983). At the same time oven-dry densities were determined. Moreover correlation between thickness, swelling and oven-dry density were also investigated. The result showed that the values of swelling and shrinkage decreased with increasing treatment temperature.