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Forests
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Wood Quality and Mechanical Properties: 2nd Edition
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Wood Quality and Mechanical Properties: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Wood Science and Forest Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 5188

Special Issue Editor

Dr. André Luis Christoforo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos 13565-905, Brazil
Interests: numerical modeling; experimental campaing; wood; wood composite systemns; engineeried wood produts; statistical modeling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Wood is a material from a renewable source and it has excellent mechanical properties. It is one of the oldest materials used in civil construction, a sector it stands out in due to its excellent relationship between mechanical strength and density compared to other construction materials, such as concrete and steel. Anatomical issues (which vary from species to species) and soil and climate characteristics directly impact its properties. The present interest in building high and robust wooden buildings has stimulated investigations about wood's physical and mechanical properties and their relationship with other relevant material parameters. In this sense, it is important to evaluate the quality of wood through classification methods since defects and other factors can negatively impact its properties, especially mechanical ones. In this Special Issue of Forests, “Wood Quality and Mechanical Properties”, research is expected to focus on the analysis of wood quality (of great importance in the case of planted forest species), as well as the characterization (determination of physical and mechanical properties) of wood species with little or extensive use, and even engineered wood materials, of which quality and characterization are highly important to widen their use.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Characterization of new or few used wood species;
  • Characterization of modified wood species;
  • Classification methods;
  • Non-destructive experimental tests;
  • Mechanical characterization of engineered wood materials;
  • Wood failure modes;
  • Normative procedures for wood testing and characterization.

Dr. André Luis Christoforo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • wood characterization
  • classification methods
  • wood testing
  • non-destructive tests
  • normative procedures

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 4503 KiB  
Article
Moisture-Dependent Transverse Isotropic Elastic Constants of Wood S2 Secondary Cell Wall Layers Determined Using Nanoindentation
by Xavier Arzola-Villegas, Nayomi Z. Plaza, Nathan J. Bechle, Yikai Wang, Roderic Lakes, Donald S. Stone and Joseph E. Jakes
Forests 2025, 16(5), 712; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16050712 - 22 Apr 2025
Viewed by 197
Abstract
Moisture- and orientation-dependent mechanical properties of the S2 secondary cell wall layer are needed to better understand wood mechanical properties and advance wood utilization. In this work, nanoindentation was used to assess the orientation-dependent elastic moduli and Meyer hardness of the loblolly pine [...] Read more.
Moisture- and orientation-dependent mechanical properties of the S2 secondary cell wall layer are needed to better understand wood mechanical properties and advance wood utilization. In this work, nanoindentation was used to assess the orientation-dependent elastic moduli and Meyer hardness of the loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) S2 layer under environmental conditions ranging from 0% to 94% relative humidity (RH). The elastic moduli were fit to a theoretical transverse isotropic elasticity model to calculate the longitudinal elastic modulus, transverse elastic modulus, axial shear modulus, and transverse shear modulus for the S2 layer at 0%, 33%, 75%, and 94% RH and 26 °C. The longitudinal elastic modulus was consistently higher than the transverse elastic modulus because of the orientation of the stiff cellulose microfibrils in the S2 layer. The axial shear modulus was consistently higher than the transverse shear modulus. The Meyer hardness had a much smaller orientation dependence than the elastic properties. Moisture generally plasticized the S2 layer. Over the range of RH tested, the longitudinal elastic modulus decreased by 30%, the transverse elastic modulus and transverse shear modulus decreased by 83%, the axial shear modulus did not have an observable trend with RH, and the hardness decreased by 68% to 82% with the hardness in the longitudinal direction softening less than in the transverse direction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wood Quality and Mechanical Properties: 2nd Edition)
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12 pages, 17479 KiB  
Article
Epoxy as an Alternative Resin in Particleboard Production with Pine Wood Residues: Physical, Mechanical, and Microscopical Analyses of Panels at Three Resin Proportions
by Antonio José Santos Junior, Marjorie Perosso Herradon, Matheus Viana de Souza, Sergio Augusto Mello da Silva, Victor Almeida De Araujo, Diego Henrique de Almeida, Herisson Ferreira dos Santos and André Luis Christoforo
Forests 2025, 16(2), 196; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16020196 - 22 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1301
Abstract
Given the construction challenges and the impacts of industrial waste generation and the implications of using chemical adhesives, this study aims to evaluate epoxy as an alternative resin, whose application in the production of wood particleboards is still underexplored. In this regard, its [...] Read more.
Given the construction challenges and the impacts of industrial waste generation and the implications of using chemical adhesives, this study aims to evaluate epoxy as an alternative resin, whose application in the production of wood particleboards is still underexplored. In this regard, its results were compared with those of widely used adhesives, such as urea-formaldehyde (UF). Pine wood particles were used, and epoxy resin was applied as a binder in 5%, 10%, and 15% proportions. Panels were manufactured under pressing parameters of 5 N/mm2 for 10 min at 110 °C. Physical and mechanical properties of panels were evaluated using Brazilian, European, and American standards. The results showed that epoxy resin is potentially convenient for the particleboard industry, as the 15% trait panels met the P4 class criteria in the Brazilian and European standards and D-2 for the American code, and the 10% trait panels achieved the M-3i class for the American document. Although 5% adhesive was insufficient to envelop wood particles, these traits with greater percentages reached high enveloping ratings in the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) test, making epoxy resin viable for the panel industry as a potential alternative to formaldehyde-based adhesives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wood Quality and Mechanical Properties: 2nd Edition)
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17 pages, 7157 KiB  
Article
Study on Nondestructive Detection Imaging Method of Log Knot Based on Judging the Shortest Path of Stress Wave Propagation
by Fenglu Liu, Qinhui Wang, Chuanyu Wu, Wenhao Chen and Jiawei Xiao
Forests 2024, 15(10), 1748; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15101748 - 3 Oct 2024
Viewed by 3158
Abstract
This paper presents an iterative stress wave log beam imaging algorithm based on external shape to predict the size, shape, and position of internal features in logs. The algorithm’s accuracy is analyzed to establish a theoretical and scientific basis for the prediction and [...] Read more.
This paper presents an iterative stress wave log beam imaging algorithm based on external shape to predict the size, shape, and position of internal features in logs. The algorithm’s accuracy is analyzed to establish a theoretical and scientific basis for the prediction and evaluation of internal knots in standing trees. Six sample logs with natural knots were selected for study, and cross-sectional stress wave propagation tests were conducted using FAKOPP to collect data. Using the shortest propagation path method, the algorithm iteratively produced fault images of the log cross-sections. While the algorithm can roughly predict the location of internal features, discrepancies between predicted and actual shapes and sizes result in relative errors ranging from 15.66% to 52.08%. Except for sample log 6, the relative error for other logs is mostly within 31%, with logs 1, 2, and 5 showing errors under 20%. However, the imaging accuracy and effectiveness need improvement. Further experimental studies and algorithm enhancements are necessary to improve fault imaging and prediction accuracy, particularly in terms of shape and size precision. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wood Quality and Mechanical Properties: 2nd Edition)
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