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Title
Experimental characterization of shrinkage and density of Tamarix aphylla wood
Authors
ABASALI NOURI SADEGH MAJID KIAEI and AHMAD SAMARIHA
Received
August 7, 2011
Published
Volume 46 Issue 5-6 June-July
Keywords
Tamarix aphylla, density, shrinkage, fiber saturation point, maximum moisture content, cell wall, porosity
Abstract
Athel (Tamarix aphlylla) is one of the important species planted for fixing the dune sands in the Iranian hot desert
region. The variations in physical properties of Athel wood were studied on ten 48-52 year-old trees from the
southeastern part of Iran (Zabol region). The samples were taken at breast height and from the entire disc surface. The
physical properties, including oven-dry density (686 Kg m-3), basic density (521 Kg m-3), tangential shrinkage (7.13%),
radial shrinkage (4.14%), longitudinal shrinkage (1.96%), volumetric shrinkage (13.23%), fiber saturation point
(25.4%), maximum humidity content (125.60%), tangential to radial shrinkage ratio (1.72), percentage of cell wall
(46.06%) and porosity (53.93%), were determined. The relationship between wood density and shrinkage (tangential,
radial and longitudinal) and maximum moisture content was determined by Pearson matrix correlation analyses. It was
found that the relationships density–shrinkage and density–maximum humidity content were positive and negative,
respectively. The correlation coefficient between wood density and longitudinal shrinkage was found to be higher than
those of the relationships wood density–tangential shrinkage and wood density–radial shrinkage.
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