Use of dead oak wood in furniture products

Abstract

Today, furniture made of wood, on which the openings of insect passageways are visible, is popular. Artificially creating such holes on healthy wood does not meet the aesthetic needs of consumers. Considering the annual increase of 8-10 thousand hectares in drying oak stands in Ukraine and, accordingly, the cost of deadwood reduced by almost 50%, it is proposed to use it after proper treatment to destroy pests for the manufacture of furniture products. An analysis of wood disinfection methods was carried out, which transformed over time from non-toxic substances and processing methods – oil, tar, resin, storage in salt water, charring to modern ones using harmful chemical compounds – pentachlorophenol, alkaline chloride, sodium fluorosilicates, tars, DDT, etc. Analysis of available methods for exterminating timber pests allowed distinguishing antiseptics, fumigation, ultra-high frequency current treatment and thermal modification. The purpose of this study was to determine the method of disinfection of sawn goods made from deadwood oak for further use in furniture products. Theoretical and experimental methods were used to achieve this purpose. The scientific originality of this study lies in the application of the fuzzy logic method to select the priority method of wood disinfection, which lies in decomposition of the problem into simpler components and step-by-step prioritisation of the evaluated components using paired comparisons. For alternative options to achieve the purpose, the following criteria were applied: efficiency, environmental friendliness, industrial manufacturability, durability of the result. The corresponding calculations performed, confirmed by the required consistency index, showed the priority of the method of thermal modification of wood. Experimental studies of heat treatment with the proposed modes of deadwood oak with existing pests, namely Xyleborus dispar (Xyleborus dispar), were carried out. The study determined the possibility of using the action of hot temperatures (t>110 °C) for complete sterilisation of deadwood oak. The result of practical application of this eco-safe method for the manufacture of tabletops has shown its effectiveness and can be useful for furniture makers

Keywords

• pests
• disinfection methods
• thermal modification
• thermomodified wood tabletop