DIMENSIONAL STABILITY OF SEVERAL WOOD SPECIES TREATED WITH VINYL MONOMERS AND POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL-1000

Several wood species (e.g., poplar, beech, alder, pine, fir and spruce ) were successfully treated with three agents (e.g., styrene (St), a S t and methylmethacrylate mixture (St-MMA), and polyethylene glycol (PE G)-1000). The polymerization of St and St-MMA monomers in situ was per formed using 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as an initiator. The m aximum weight percent gain (WPG), 64.17%, was obtained for a lowest de nsity wood species, e.g., poplar in the case of St-MMA copolymer. On t he other hand, lowest value in WPG (about 15%) was obtained for beech with highest density. PEG-1000 treatment gave the highest antishrink e fficiency (ASE) (about 84%) for poplar, followed by St and MMA mixture and St ones, respectively. However, maximum increase in density was a chieved with St-MMA treatment. In general, the lower density, the bett er performance in dimensional stability.