Papers by Keyword: Microfibril Angle

Abstract: The article continues the previous one “Coefficients of Transverse Contraction of the Wood Cell Constituents and their Effect on the Cell Behavior”. Wood, as being one of the most commonly used building materials, disposes of complex structure and basic building unit of a wood-cell. Each individual cell is composed of four distinct cell wall layers - the Primary, S1, S2, and S3. This work focuses on a closer examination of the relationship between microscopic and mechanical properties of wood. The main task was an effect of micro fibril angle (MFA) in the S2 layer of a wood on the cell wall parameters. This layer occupies more than 80% of the total thickness of the cell wall and thus has the greatest influence on the mechanical properties of wood cells. MFA values as well as values of bulk density has a strong dependence on the modulus of, elasticity in the longitudinal direction, as well as on the values of shrinkage. We tried to describe the dependence of the longitudinal modulus of elasticity on its. The proposed formula was partially validated using nanoindentation experiments performed in Norway spruce cell walls with highly variable cellulose microfibril angle and lignin content [5].

Abstract: The term microfibril angle (MFA) in wood refers to the angle between the spiralling cellulose fibrils and the long axis of the tracheid cell wall. Diffraction patterns arising from crystal planes of various sample forms of wood trees had attracted scientific research in determining the crystallographic measurements. As such the tropical hard wood in Sabah, Acacia mangium was chosen for experimental data. Age-contributing factors were measured; the angle of reflection (θ), relative intensity, full width at half maximum (FWHM), the nearest between two neighbouring atoms in the crystalline structure (d-spacing) and the peak height, had been taken into account at different ages, pith and bark of tree. Regressions were done in comparing the microfibril angle, MFA at different ages using the least-square method and cubic-spline interpolation. The latter was able to interpolate a polynomial up to the third order. The range of the optimum angle was found to have benefited foresters in deciding the time for tree cropping and harvesting.

Abstract: Microfibril angle (MFA) was determined at each growth ring from disks at breast height (1.3 m) from four scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) trees grown in northeastern China. Significant variation in microfibril angle was observed among growth rings. MFA at breast height showed a decreasing trend from pith to bark for each tree. The modified logistic model with nonlinear mixed-effects was used for modeling earlywood MFA. The NLME procedure in S-Plus is used to fit the mixed-effects models for the MFA data. The results showed that logistic model with two random parameters and could significantly improve the model performance. The CS, AR(1), MA(1), and ARMA(1,1) correlation structures were incorporated into mixed-effects models. The mixed model with the AR(1), MA(1), and ARMA(1,1) correlation structures improved model performance (P<0.0001).

Abstract: Earlywood microfibril angle (MFA) was determined at each growth ring from disks at breast height (1.3 m) from 6 dahurian larch (Larix gmelinii. Rupr.) trees grown in northeastern China. Significant variation in microfibril angle was observed among growth rings. MFA at breast height varied from 7.5°to 21.5°between growth rings and showed a descreasing trend from pith to bark for each tree. A second order polynomial equation with linear mixed-effects was used for modeling earlywood MFA. The LME procedure in S-Plus is used to fit the mixed-effects models for the MFA data. The results showed that the polynomial model with three random parameters could significantly improve the model performance. The fitted mixed-effects model was also evaluated using a separate dataset. The mixed model was found to predict MFA better than the original model fitted using ordinary least-squares based on absolute and relative errors.

Abstract: Partially crystalline cellulose microfibrils are wound helically around the longitudinal axis of the wood cell. A method is presented for the measurement, using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), of the microfibril angle, (MFA) and the associated standard deviation for the cellulose microfibrils in the S2 layer of the cell walls of Acacia mangium wood. The length and orientation of the microfibrils of the cell walls in the irradiated volume of the thin samples are measured using SAXS and scanning electron microscope, (SEM). The undetermined parameters in the analysis are the MFA, (M) and the standard deviation (σФ) of the intensity distribution arising from the wandering of the fibril orientation about the mean value. Nine separate pairs of values are determined for nine different values of the angle of the incidence of the X-ray beam relative to the normal to the radial direction in the sample. The results show good agreement. The curve distribution of scattered intensity for the real cell wall structure is compared with that calculated with that assembly of rectangular cells with the same ratio of transverse to radial cell wall length. It is demonstrated that for β = 45°, the peaks in the curve intensity distribution for the real and the rectangular cells coincide. If this peak position is Ф45, Then the MFA can be determined from the relation M = tan-1 (tan Ф45 / cos 45°), which is precise for rectangular cells.

Abstract: X-ray scattering techniques have been a very useful tool for the non-destructive analysis of the wood structure. X-rays are sensitive to structural parameters such as the composite structure of wood cell walls, the crystal structure of cellulose microfibrils and their helical arrangement in the cell wall, which is usually described by the microfibril angle (MFA). With the availability of synchrotron radiation sources novel experiments on wood have become possible. The increased flux of X-rays makes the in situ and time-resolved investigation of structural changes upon mechanical stress possible. The low-divergence synchrotron radiation X-rays can be focused down to sub-micrometer size, enabling scanning studies of the wood nanostructure with (sub-)microscopic position resolution. This chapter highlights very recent advances in the understanding of wood micro- and nanostructure, which were only possible using synchrotron radiation. Examples include the MFA determination in the individual layers of the secondary cell wall, the imaging of the helical structure of the cellulose microfibrils in the cell wall, lattice strain as induced by applied mechanical stress and the structural changes of different wood types under external tensile stress.