• Journal of the Korea Furniture Society
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.83-90
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• 2008

Gypsum-wood composites were made by introducing inorganic substances into wood using calcium chloride, first treating solution, and sodium sulfate, secondary treating solution, by double diffusion process under atmospheric pressure at room temperature. The process conducted as follows: water saturated specimens were soaked in calcium chloride solutions at several concentration. Then the specimens were soaked further in saturated sodium sulfate solution, and they were leached in flowing tap water for 24h. To attain sufficient weight percent gain (WPG) values, the suitable concentration of calcium chloride and soaking time in saturated sodium sulfate solution were 20% and 48h, respectively. Inorganic substances were produced mainly in the lumina of tracheides. It was made sure that these substances were dihydrate gypsum($CaSO_4$ $2H_2O$) by X -ray microanalysis (SEM-EDX). The composites had good fire resistance due to low heat transfer rate of gypsum formed in wood. However, the composites had little decay resistances, because they showed high weight losses by test fungi attacks.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.59-66
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• 2006

The thermal properties of wood flour, Hwangto, and maleated polyethylene (MAPE) reinforced HDPE composites were investigated in this study. The thermal behavior of reinforced wood polymer composites was characterized by means of thermogravimetric (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) analyses. Hwangto and MAPE were used as an inorganic filler and a coupling agent, respectively. According to TGA analysis, the increase of wood flour level increased the thermal degradation of composites in the early stage, but decreased in the late stage. On the other hand, Hwangto reinforced composites showed the higher thermal stability than virgin HDPE, from the determination of differential peak temperature ($DT_p$). Decomposition temperature of wood flour and/or Hwangto reinforced composites increased with increase of heating rate. From DSC analysis, melting temperature of reinforced composites little bit increased with the addition of wood flour or Hwangto. As the loading of wood flour or Hwangto to HDPE increased, overall enthalpy decreased. It showed that wood flour and Hwangto absorbed more heat energy for melting the reinforced composites. Hwangto reinforced composites required more heat energy than wood flour reinforced composites and virgin HDPE. Coupling agent gave no significant effect on the thermal properties of composites. Thermal analyses indicate that composites with Hwangto are more thermally stable than those without Hwangto.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.73-78
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• 2008

Inorganic chemical treated wood was prepared by impregnation of calcium or magnesium chloride ($CaCl_2$ or $MgCl_2$) solution and immersion in saturated solution of ammonium fluoride ($NH_4F$) as a reactant in order to make an introduction of a refractory fluorides with fungicidal and insecticidal effects in wood. The weight percent gains (WPGs) were increased with increase in concentration of calcium chloride or magnesium chloride solution, and were higher in treatment with calcium chloride than with magnesium chloride. Inorganic substances were produced mainly in the lumina of tracheides. These substances were proved to be the calcium fluoride or magnesium fluoride by the energy dispersive X-ray analyzer in conjunction with a scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDX). The treated wood showed good decay resistance because the weight losses were hardly occurred by the test fungi such as Tyromyces palustris and Trametes versicolor. The fire resistance effect was superior to the treated wood compared with that of the untreated wood.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.69-78
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• 2007

The mechanical properties of wood flour, Hwangto (325 and 1,400 mesh per 25,4 mm) and coupling agent-reinforced HDPE composites were investigated in this study. Hwangto and maleated polyethylene (MAPE) were used as an inorganic filler and a coupling agent, respectively. The addition of Hwangto and MAPE to virgin HDPE also increased the Young's modulus in the smaller degree. The addition of wood flour and Hwangto to virgin HDPE increased the tensile strength, due to the high uniform dispersion of HDPE by high surface area of Hwangto in HDPE and wood flour. MAPE also significantly increased the tensile strength. When wood flour was added, there was no notable difference on the tensile properties, in terms of Hwangto particle size. Hwangto also improved the flexural modulus and strength of reinforced HDPE composites. With different particle sizes of Hwangto, there was no considerable difference in flexural modulus and strength of reinforced HDPE composites. The addition of Hwangto showed slightly lower impact strength than that of wood flour. However, the particle size of Hwangto showed no significant effect on the impact strength of reinforced composites. In conclusion, reinforced HDPE composites with organic and inorganic fillers provide highly improved mechanical properties over virgin HDPE.

• Journal of the Korea Furniture Society
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.358-364
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• 2008

Wood-inorganic material composite (WIC) was prepared by impregnating wood with copper sulfate ($CuSO_4\;5H_2O$) solution and by immersed wood in sodium carbonate($Na_2CO_3$) solution in order to introduce insoluble copper compounds {copper carbonate hydroxide, $CuCO_3\;Cu(OH)_2$} into the wood to give fungicidal effects in treated-wood. The weight percent gains (WPGs) of treated wood reached maximum value by impregnation of 20% copper sulfate solution and immersion in about 15% sodium carbonate solution for 24 hrs. Inorganic substances were present mainly in the lumina and cross-field pitting of tracheides. These substances were proved to be the insoluble copper carbonate hydroxide against water by the energy dispersive X-ray analyzer in conjunction with a scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDXA). The treated specimens showed high preservative effectiveness because the weight losses were hardly occurred by the fungi degradation test.

• Journal of the Korea Furniture Society
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.87-94
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationships between the mixing ratio and water vapor sorption property of charcoal-based loess composites for furniture & building materials with environmental friendly. Charcoal-based loess composite can be easily made by blending method with water. But the composites had much brittle fracture pattern with the increase of charcoal content. That is due to the lack of loess that takes linkage role of composites. In water vapor sorption properties, adsorption ability of charcoal was about six times higher than that of loess. Therefore, vapor sorption ability was maximum at the mixture ratio of charcoal 80% and loess 20%. It is considered that wood charcoal based inorganic composite materials can be used for various purposes as a building interior & exterior and furniture members.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.1-10
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• 2003

Shredded waste newspapers, waste acrylic raw fibers, and urea-formaldehyde (UF) adhesives, at 10% by weight on raw material, were used to produce recycled waste paper-waste acrylic raw fiber composite boards in laboratory scale experiments. The physical and mechanical properties of fire retardant treated recycled waste paper-waste acrylic raw fiber composite boards were examined to investigate the possibility of using the composites as internal finishing materials with specific gravities of 0.8 and 1.0, containing 5, 10, 20, and 30(wt.%) of waste acrylic raw fiber and 10, 15, 20, and 25(wt.%) of fire retardant (inorganic chemical, FR-7^®) using the fabricating method used by commercial fiberboard manufacturers. The bending modulus of rupture increased as board density increased, decreased as waste acrylic raw fiber content increased, and also decreased as the fire retardant content increased. Mechanical properties were a little inferior to medium density fiberboard (MDF) or hardboard (HB), but significantly superior to gypsum board (GB) and insulation board (IB). The incombustibility of the fire retardant treated composite board increased on increasing the fire retardant content. The study shows that there is a possibility that composites made of recycled waste paper and waste acrylic raw fiber can be use as fire retardant internal finishing materials.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.126-132
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• 2001

This research is carried out to investigate the formation and preservative effectiveness of inorganic substance, calcium carbonate($CaCO_3$), in wood. The specimens were prepared by the impregnation with saturated solutions of potassium carbonate($K_2CO_3$) into the wood followed by precipitation in saturated solutions of calcium chloride($CaCl_2$) for 24h, 72h and 120h, and then they were leached in instrument flowing with water for 24h. The weight percent gains of $K_2CO_3$ solution impregnated specimens reached approximately a maximum value (108.1%) by 72h precipitation in $CaCl_2$ solutions. Inorganic substances were observed to he produced in the lumina of tracheids of specimens. From these inorganic substances filling in the tracheids, characteristic X-rays of calcium(Ca-$K_{\alpha}$) were detected by energy dispersive X-ray analyzer. Moreover, it was shown from a leaching treatment that these substances could not he leached easily from the specimens. Therefore, they were could he considered to be insoluble calcium carbonates. The weight losses of the prepared specimens were hardly occurred by test fungi attacks. Thus inorganic substances in specimens can be said to have preservative effectiveness.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.44-52
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• 2002

Composite materials are created by combining two or more component to achieve desired properties which could not be obtained with the separate components. The use of reinforcing fillers, which can reduce material costs and improve certain properties, is increasing in thermoplastic polymer composites. Currently, various inorganic fillers such as talc, mica, clay, glass fiber and calcium carbonate are being incorporated into thermoplastic composites. Nevertheless, lignocellulose fibers have drawn attention due to their abundant availability, low cost and renewable nature. In recent, interest has grown in composites made from lignocellulose fiber in thermoplastic polymer matrices, particularly for low cost/high volume applications. In addition to high specific properties, lignocellulose fibers offer a number of benefits for lignocellulose fiber/thermoplastic polymer composites. These include low hardness, which minimize abrasion of the equipment during processing, relatively low density, biodegradability, and low cost on a unit-volume basis. In spite of the advantage mentioned above, the use of lignocellulose fibers in thermoplastic polymer composites has been plagued by difficulties in obtaining good dispersion and strong interfacial adhesion because lignocellulose fiber is hydrophilic and thermoplastic polymer is hydrophobic. The application of lignocellulose fibers as reinforcements in composite materials requires, just as for glass-fiber reinforced composites, a strong adhesion between the fiber and the matrix regardless of whether a traditional polymer matrix, a biodegradable polymer matrix or cement is used. Further this article gives a survey about physical and chemical treatment methods which improve the fiber matrix adhesion, their results and effects on the physical properties of composites. Coupling agents in lignocellulose fiber and polymer composites play a very important role in improving the compatibility and adhesion between polar lignocellulose fiber and non-polar polymeric matrices. In this article, we also review various kinds of coupling agent and interfacial mechanism or phenomena between lignocellulose fiber and thermoplastic polymer.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.29-41
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• 2006

This study was to investigate the effect of adding additive as tannin, rice husk and charcoal, for reducing the formaldehyde emission level, on the adhesion properties of urea-formaldehyde (UF) resin for particleboard. We controlled the hot-pressing time, temperature and pressure to determine the bonding strength and formaldehyde emission. Blends of various UF resin/additives (tannin, rice husk and charcoal) compositions were prepared. To determine and compare the effect of additives (tannin, rice husk and charcoal) content, 0, 5, 10 and 15%, by weight of UF resin, were used. $NH_4Cl$ as hardener added. To determine the level of formaldehyde emission, we used the desiccator, perforator and 20 L-small chamber method. The formaldehyde emission level decreased with increased additions of additive (except rice husk). Also, increased hot-pressing time decreased formaldehyde emission level. At a charcoal replacement ratio of only 15%, the formaldehyde emission level is under F ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ grade (emit < $0.3mg/{\ell}$). Curing of the high tannin additive content in this adhesive system indicated that the bonding strength increased. But, in the case of rice husk and charcoal, the bonding strength was much lower due to the inorganic substance. Furthermore, rice husk was poor in bonding strength as well as formaldehyde emission than tannin and charcoal.