MANUFACTURING AND PROPERTIES OF MODIFIED WOOD - A REVIEW OF 25 YEARS WORK

Results are reported of studies into some of the properties and formin g behaviour of wood-polymer composite materials produced from natural wood by thermochemical manufacturing processes. The physico-mechanical properties, the moisture resistance, the bioresistance, the fire-resi stance, and other operating properties have been considered and compar ed with those of natural wood. Forming properties are related to the v arious modifiers and technologies employed. Possible applications of t he materials are suggested. The present paper reviews work carried out over a period of 25 years at the Byelorussian Institute of Technology , which has previously been difficult to publish in the western scient ific literature.