Some physical properties of native and thermo-treated Fraxinus excelsior timber

Abstract

In the conditions of decreasingly wood resources worldwide, the use of modern methods of high-heat treatment of wood leads to the diversification of opportunities and availabilities offered by current timber. In this sense, the thermo-wood process of treating timber with high temperature under the protection of steam, developed by Finnish researchers, gives to ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) wood some new areas of use, such as in the field of sauna structures and benches, swimming pools, Olympic pools, garden furniture, etc., uses that would not have been possible a few years ago, except after laborious and expensive timber finishes. It is highlighted that the thermal process is ecological and replaces ineffective chemical processes. The material used in the work was purchased from the Holver group companies, Brasov, Romania, in the form of native and thermo-treated ash timber with dimensions of 1000x100x38 mm.