Cold and steam bending properties of some lesser - used species of Ghana
2000
Ayarkwa, J.
The cold and steam bending properties of six selected lesser- used timber species of Ghana have been studied,with a view to providing technical data for the furniture and glulam industries. Differences betweentimber species and thicknesses of bending lamella have been found to be statistically significant in cold bending of the six species (p=0.05). Denya (Cylicodiscus gabunensis) has been found to have superior cold bending qualities for all thicknesses studied, followed by Essia (Petersianthus macrocarpus), Ceiba (Ceiba pentandra), Awiemfosamina ( Albiza ferruginea) and Kyenkyen (Antaris toxicaria) in order of decreasing performance. Although in 9 mm thickness, Celtis (Celtis mildbraedii) is next to Denya, its performance in 12 and 25 mm thickness is very low.Thickness factors derived indicate that thickness effect is severe in all the species, with Celtis and Ceiba showing the most severe effects. High density species also seem superior in cold bending properties to low density species. For steam bending, however, Celtis has best qualities, followed by Kyenkyen, Awiemfosamina, Denya, Essia and Ceiba in decreasing order. Whereas Ceiba's weakness under steam bending may be attributed to it's brittle wood fibres and high porosity, Celtis' superior quality may be due to its fine texture, low porosity and straight grains. Density does not seem to influence steam bending qualities of the six species. Apart from Kyenkyen and Awiemfosamina, all the species studied may be recommended for cold bending, and only Celtis for steam bending in the furniture and glulam industries.
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This bibliographic record has been provided by Forestry Research Institute of Ghana