Microstructure and Mechanism of Grain Raising in Wood

Philip D Evans; Ian Cullis; Joseph Doh Wook Kim; Lukie H Leung; Siti Hazneza; Roger D Heady

doi:10.3390/coatings7090135

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Microstructure and Mechanism of Grain Raising in Wood

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Microstructure and Mechanism of Grain Raising in Wood

Philip D Evans, Ian Cullis, Joseph Doh Wook Kim, Lukie H Leung, Siti Hazneza and Roger D Heady

Coatings, Vol.7(9), 135

2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings7090135

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Abstract

wood

grain raising

sanding

water-borne coatings

fibres

slivers

confocal profilometry

scanning electron microscopy

Grain raising, the lifting of fibres when water is applied to wood surfaces, is a reason why some companies are reluctant to finish wood products with water-borne coatings. However, the elements that lift-up and cause grain raising have not been identified, and the relationship between wood density and grain raising has not been clarified. Our work sought answers to both questions. We planed or sanded different woods using aluminum oxide abrasive paper, and characterized surfaces using profilometry and SEM. Surfaces were re-characterized after wetting and drying. Grain raising is inversely related to wood density. In particular, very low-density woods are highly susceptible to grain raising, whereas grain raising does not occur in high-density woods or planed woods. In low-density woods, sanding tears cell walls creating loosely-bonded slivers of wood that project from surfaces, particularly after wetting and drying. This mechanism for grain raising was confirmed by modelling the action of abrasives on wood cell walls using an array of hollow tubes and a serrated tool. Less commonly, fibres and fibre-bundles project from surfaces. We observed that grain raising was correlated with the coarseness of the abrasive and conclude that it can be reduced in severity by tailoring sanding to account for the density and surface microstructure of wood.

Details

Title: Microstructure and Mechanism of Grain Raising in Wood
Authors: Philip D Evans (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Arts, Business and Law
Ian Cullis (Author) - University of British Columbia, Canada
Joseph Doh Wook Kim (Author) - University of British Columbia, Canada
Lukie H Leung (Author) - University of British Columbia, Canada
Siti Hazneza (Author) - University of British Columbia, Canada
Roger D Heady (Author) - Australian National University
Publication details: Coatings, Vol.7(9), 135; 14
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date published: 2017
DOI: 10.3390/coatings7090135
ISSN: 2079-6412; 2079-6412
Copyright note: Copyright © 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450917502621
Output Type: Journal article
Research Statement: false

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Materials Science, Coatings & Films; Materials Science, Multidisciplinary; Physics, Applied