Effect of Modification with Phenol Formaldehyde Resin on the Mechanical Properties of Wood from Chinese Fir

Samples of Chinese fir were treated with either low-molecular-weight or commercial phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resins. The macro- and micromechanical properties of the treated and untreated samples were determined. The average longitudinal tensile modulus of elasticity (MOE) was 30.88% larger for the samples treated with the low-molecular-weight PF resin than it was for the untreated samples. The average MOE of the samples treated with the commercial PF resin was 29.84% less than that of the untreated samples. The micromechanical properties of the samples were investigated through nanoindentation studies. For the samples modified with low-molecular-weight PF resin, the values of average MOE and hardness were 32.94 and 32.93%, respectively, greater than those of the untreated samples. In contrast, the average MOE and hardness values were 11.99 and 18.14%, respectively, greater for the samples modified with commercial PF resin compared to the untreated samples. It could be inferred that the low-molecular-weight PF resin was able to diffuse into the nanopores in the S-2 layer of the tracheid cell wall of the Chinese fir, thereby improving its macromechanical properties. Modification with low-molecular-weight PF resin was an effective way to enhance the longitudinal macromechanical properties of wood from the Chinese fir.