This study investigated factors on tensile properties of rattan strips commonly used as woven materials for furniture. The factors were rattan type (bast, core, synthetic), gauge length (100, 140 mm), and unit loading speed (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5 mm/min/mm). Experimental results indicated that natural bast and core rattan strips, when subjected to tensile loading, behaved like synthetic rattan strips in terms of their stress-strain curves showing excessive plastic deformation. There was no significant difference in ultimate tensile strain between bast and synthetic rattan strips. Bast rattan strips had the highest ultimate tensile strength and modulus of elasticity among three materials evaluated in this study, followed by core rattan and synthetic strips. The major tensile properties of natural rattan bast strips can be influenced by their gauge length adapted to their evaluation test. Unit loading speeds, in general, had no significant effects on the major tensile properties of natural bast rattan strips but tended to significantly effect the ultimate strength of synthetic rattan strips, while less significantly for strengths at the proportional limit and yield point.

Solid acids have been proposed as a hydrolytic agent for wood biomass dissolution. In this work, we presented an environmentally friendly physicochemical treatment to leave behind cellulose, dissolve hemicellulose, and remove lignin from poplar wood. Several pretreatments, such as autohydrolysis and disk refining, were compared to optimize and modify the process. The p-toluenesulfonic acid could extract lignin from wood with a small amount of cellulose degradation. Disk refining with subsequent acid hydrolysis (so-called physicochemical treatment) doubled the delignification efficiency. A comprehensive morphology and overall chemical composition were provided. The crystallinity index (CrI) of treated poplar was increased and the chemical structure was changed after physicochemical treatment. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy analysis demonstrated physicochemical treatment affected the morphology of poplar wood by removing lignin and generating fiberization. In general, this work demonstrated this physicochemical method could be a promising fractionation technology for lignocellulosic biomass due to its advantages, such as good selectivity, in removing lignin while preserving cellulose.

With the increasing awareness of environmental protection, Green Velvet Material (PLON), a renewable and environmentally friendly material, has been widely applied to mattresses. In order to improve the compressive properties of PLON, a series of experiments were carried out with special attention given to the compression deformation characteristics, support performance of the PLON blocks and its effective application in mattress products. The results are: (1) Average slopes of the load-deformation curves’ two phases are represented by K1 and K2, respectively. K1 is more sensitive to density changes that range from 30 kg/m³ to 50 kg/m³, while K2 is sensitive to density changes that range from 20 kg/m³ to 50 kg/m³. Their values increase with the rise of density; (2) 25% IFD, 40% IFD, 65% IFD, SF and IHF values are sensitive to density changes and they significantly increase with the rise of density. PLON blocks have excellent supporting properties and are considered to be comfortable according to American FPF Test Standard (ASTM-D3574-B1) when used in mattress bedding; (3) a PLON block density of 30 kg/m³ is preferentially selected for the softer type of mattress, while a PLON block density of 40 kg/m³ is preferentially selected for the harder type of mattress. The compression deformation characteristics and support performance of the PLON blocks were analyzed and the effective application of PLON in mattress products was explored through the above research.

Tensile fatigue performances of selected natural rattan strips (NRSs) and synthetic rattan strips (SRSs) were evaluated by subjecting them to zero-to-maximum constant amplitude cyclic tensile loading. Experimental results indicated that a fatigue life of 25,000 cycles began at the stress level of 50% of rattan material ultimate tensile strength (UTS) value for NRSs evaluated. Rattan core strips’ fatigue life of 100,000 cycles started at the stress level of 30% of its UTS value. Rattan bast strips could start a fatigue life of 100,000 cycles at a stress level below 30% of material UTS value. SRSs didn’t reach the fatigue life of 25,000 cycles until the applied stress level reduced to 40% of material UTS value and reached the fatigue life of 100,000 cycles at the stress level of 40% of material UTS value. It was found that NRSs’ S-N curves (applied nominal stress versus log number of cycles to failure) could be approximated by $\mathrm{S}={\mathsf{\sigma }}_{\mathrm{ou}}(1-\mathrm{H}\times \mathrm{lo}{\mathrm{g}}_{10}\cdot {\mathrm{N}}_{\mathrm{f}})$. The constant H values in the equation were 0.10 and 0.08 for bast and core materials, respectively.