Physical, Mechanical and Natural Durability Properties of Wood From Reforestation Pinus Halepensis Mill. In the Mediterranean Basin

Abstract

Pinus halepensis Mill. was introduced into regions with a Mediterranean cli- mate as an ornamental tree, and is now often found in parks and gardens. At pre- sent, Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.) forests cover approximately 2,500,000 ha in the Mediterranean Basin, mostly at low altitudes (less than 500 m) and along the coast. It has become naturalized outside cities in North Africa to the extent that it is now listed as an invasive species there. Because of its size (over 15 m in height and 30 cm in diameter), Pinus hale- pensis could be a good potential green resource for structural material in Tunisia. The focus of this study was to assess rot resistance and the physical and mecha- nical properties of reforestation Aleppo pine from the Mediterranean basin. The Pinus halepensis wood samples studied were collected from 6 tree provenances in Tunisia for physical and mechanical characterization and from Morocco for decay and termite resistance tests. Den- sities and shrinkage were determined and mechanical and rot resistance tests performed. Preliminary results showed that Tunisian Pinus halepensis wood has great dimensional stability. Although the compressive strength of Pinus halepen- sis wood is high, its bending strength is rather low for each of the provenances. MOR in bending is lower than in other Tunisian softwood species. Finally, Pinus halepensis sapwood has low resistance to fungi and termites. This timber species could be valuable for furniture and/or as a building material provided that a wood preservation method is applied before it is used.

Analysis of Mechanical Behavior through Digital Image Correlation and Reliability of Pinus halepensis Mill.

“…Thus, it can be verified that the values obtained for this property are valid because they are below the bending values but close to them. Finally, the average value of the density remains within the interval reported by [5,6].…”

“…Figure 2 shows the pattern arranged on the samples to be tested. To validate the quality of the applied speckling pattern, the mean intensity gradient (MIG) [48] was calculated using Equation (6). This parameter enables quantitative evaluation of the speckle; higher values correspond to a better distribution of the gray scale, thus implying lower errors in the results of the digital correlation of images.…”

“…The clear wood of Pinus halepensis Mill. has better resistance than other Spanish coniferous trees used in timber structures, and has the following physical and mechanical property values: average density 590 ± 15 kg/m 3 [5]; compressive strength parallel to grain (MOR c ) of 47 MPa; bending strength (MOR f ) of 110 MPa; and modulus of elasticity in static bending (MOE f ) of 11,450 MPa [6].…”

Wollastonite to hinder growth of Aspergillus niger fungus on cotton textile

“…The results of this study showed increase in the durability of the tested textiles; moreover, the textiles were reinforced. HAMID R. TAGHIYARI, REZA MAJIDINAJAFABADI and REZA VAHIDZADEH Cellulosic materials are vulnerable to different wood-deteriorating fungi and molds (Elaieb et al 2017, Morias et al 2018. Metal and mineral nano-materials have also been used to improve biological resistance of wood and wood composites to different fungi (Karimi et al 2013, Taghiyari et al 2014a, b, Bari et al 2015, 2017, and to improve many properties in different materials (Pethig 2017, Sandeep et al 2017.…”

The physicomechanical and thermal properties of Algerian Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) wood as a component of sandwich panels

“…The easy adaptation of P. halepensis to various eco-climatic conditions and poor soils makes the species a desired tree for reforestation programs in Mediterranean countries (Elaieb et al 2017, Liphschitz & Biger 2001, Montero et al 2001, Sghaier & Ammari 2012. Silvicultural treatments of the species have been investigated in different countries (Montero et al 2001) for forest management.…”