The mechanical properties of Woodceramics which were made from medium-density fiberboard have been investigated with special reference to the effect of burning temperature on their bending Young's modulus and bending strength. Woodceramics made from beech wood have also been tested to clarify the compressive strength anisotropy, and the role of phenol resin impregnation in strengthening the beech based charcoal.
The bending Young's modulus hardly varies for burning temperatures between 300 and 500Β°C, but it improves remarkably for burning temperature~ between 500 and 800Β°C. The bending strength degrades with temperature for burning temperatures between 300 and 500Β°C, but it improves remarkably with increasing temperature of burning between 500 and 800Β°C. The bending Young's modulus and bending strength gradually degrade with temperature for burning temperatures at and above 2000Β°C.
The compressive strength of beech wood burned at 800Β°C in the longitudinal direction is greater than that in the radial direction, which in turn is greater than that in the tangential direction; this reflects the anisotropy of wood. Woodceramics made from beech wood have a compressive strength superior to beech charcoal in any of the following three directions: 4.5 times in the longitudinal direction, 3.4 times in the radial direction, and 2.0 times in the tangential direction. Both for beech charcoal and beech Woodceramics, brittle fracture is brought about by the buckling of cell wall in compression along the longitudinal direction but by the bending of cell wall in the compression along radial and tangential direction.