In this study, beech wood (Fagus silvatica L.) has been chemically modified with citric acid (Acidum citricum) and sodium hypophosphate (SHP) as the catalyst and gradually thermo-condensed in the dryer. Afterwards, wetting angle, surface energy, and shear strength of glued joints of modified and unmodified wood were determined. Testing of the bond strength according to standard EN 204 and comparison between modified and unmodified samples were executed. The adhesive used for bonding samples was polyvinyl acetate (PVAC), commonly used for gluing solid wood panels. Testing material was divided into three groups (dry, wet, and wet conditioned samples), within which statistical analysis was performed, and the significance of the differences between the modified and unmodified samples was determined. Surface energy is correlated with the bond strength, indicating that modification with citric acid negatively affects the adhesive properties of beech wood. A reduction in the bond strength of modified wood glued with PVAC glue compared to unmodified wood was determined. All the results indicate that the modified samples do not meet the minimum requirements for EN 204 bonded with PVAC glue. Therefore, it will be necessary to conduct further studies using other types of adhesives to investigate whether modified wood might be suitable for gluing.

Na tržištu se pojavljuje velik broj proizvoda (uglavnom podnih obloga) od toplinski modificiranog drva. Poznato je da se drvu mijenjaju fizička i mehanička svojstva djelovanjem temperatura viših od 160 °C u okolišu siromašnome kisikom. U prikazanom radu istraživana je promjena tvrdoće po Brinell-u toplinski modificirane bukovine i grabovine u odnosu na recentno drvo, i to na tri glavna presjeka drva: poprečnom, radijalnom i tangentnom. Bukovina i grabovina odabrane su zbog utjecaja klimatskih promjena, kao i predviđanja na rasprostranjenost bukve i graba u Jugoistočnoj Europi. Drvo je modificirano u okolišu siromašnom kisikom 48 sati pri 200 ºC. Također je prikazana i ovisnost tvrdoće drva po Brinell-u o gustoći drva. Sva su mjerenja provedena pri ravnotežnom sadržaju vode drva od 12 %. Prosječne vrijednosti tvrdoće po Brinell-u toplinski modificirane bukovine i grabovine statistički se značajno razlikuju i manje su od prosječnih vrijednosti tvrdoće recentne bukovine i grabovine. Toplinskom modifikacijom bukovine i grabovine očekivano je došlo do smanjenja mase, a time i do smanjenja gustoće ispitanih uzoraka. U ovom istraživanju utvrđeno je da se primijenjenom toplinskom modifikacijom bukovini smanjila prosječna vrijednost tvrdoće po Brinell-u za 3% na poprečnom presjeku, za 15% na radijalnom presjeku i za 25% na tangentnom presjeku. Grabovini se istovrsnom toplinskom modifikacijom smanjila tvrdoća po Brinell-u za 6% na poprečnom presjeku, za 18% na radijalnom presjeku i za 13% na tangentnom presjeku. Primijenjenom toplinskom modifikacijom drva smanjena je tvrdoća po Brinell-u na sva tri presjeka istraživane bukovine i grabovine. Međutim, zabilježeno smanjenje tvrdoće još uvijek ne priječi uporabu tako modificirane bukovine i grabovine u nenosivim drvenim konstrukcijama i drvenim podnim oblogama.

The modification of wood and its surface is one of the challenges that is being perfected with the aim of transitioning to sustainable management. This study investigated the dynamic mechanical and thermal behaviour of unmodified and styrene modified fir wood (Abies alba Mill.). Styrene monomer was chosen and impregnated into the porous structure of fir wood by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerisation. Attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were employed to characterise the chemical structure, viscoelastic properties, and thermal stability of unmodified and modified (surface-modified) wood. All tests have to be regarded as being preliminary due to the small number of specimens. Fourier transform infrared analysis showed evidence of the phenyl group from styrene at 700 cm⁻¹. DMA results showed that the modified wood caused an increase in the glass transition temperature relative to the unmodified wood. In addition, modification with styrene improves thermal stability, as revealed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).

This study analysed the bonding mechanisms and strength between wood and non-wood implants in producing laminated oak-wood beams. The suitability of different types of adhesives, namely for load-bearing and general purpose, was also analysed. Three different types of non-wood implants—carbon fibres, glass fibres, and aluminium were glued with epoxy resin (ER), thermoplastic 1-k polyurethane adhesives (PUR), structural polyurethane adhesives (PUR 2 and PUR 3), and polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) adhesives and bonds were tested for shear strength (SS) according to ISO 6238:2018. Results of the bond quality expressed as the ultimate load to failure and displacement were recorded using the universal mechanical testing machine in combination with the digital image correlation (DIC) method. Before the shear test, all the samples were conditioned in dry and wet climatic conditions. Test results indicated that the application of PUR adhesives for bonding carbon and glass fibres with oak wood could sufficiently replace two-component ER, which is generally recommended for such purposes but is very challenging to utilise in industrial conditions. PVAc adhesives proved efficient only for combination with AL implants and in dry conditions. Aluminium sheets were shown to require surface pre-treatment, such as sanding and degreasing or a different type of adhesive to achieve sufficient adhesion.