Fracture mechanisms of softwood under longitudinal tensile load at the cell wall scale

Holzforschung ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 74 (7) ◽  
pp. 715-724 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong Wang ◽  
Lanying Lin ◽  
Feng Fu ◽  
Mizi Fan

AbstractThis study was undertaken to elucidate the longitudinal tensile fracture behaviors of softwood at the cell wall scale by means of microscopic analyses. The fracture types of the tracheids at the different fracture surfaces were also distinguished. The results indicated that the main tracheid fracture of the earlywood (EW) sample was transverse transwall breakage. The tracheid fracture process of the transverse transwall breakage was initiated as a fracture in the S2 layer, with the crack propagating into the S1/S2 interface. For the EW/latewood (LW) sample, the strain concentration and initial crack under longitudinal tensile load generally occurred in wood rays in the EW part, which caused the tracheids to experience transverse transwall breakage. The differences in longitudinal and transverse strains between EW and LW under longitudinal tensile load led to shear stress and parallel-to-grain cracks occurring at the growth ring border. When the crack propagated along the wood grain in the EW tissue or growth ring boundary, this resulted in EW longitudinal transwall breakage. However, when the crack propagates along the wood grain in the LW tissue, it could cause the LW tracheid to undergo intrawall breakage, with the crack occurring predominantly at the compound middle lamella (CML)/S1 interface region.

IAWA Journal ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jong Sik Kim ◽  
Geoffrey Daniel

Although there is considerable information on anatomy and gross chemistry of oak wood, little is known on the ultrastructure and chemistry at the individual cell wall level. In particular, differences in ultrastructure and chemistry within the same cell type between earlywood (EW) and latewood (LW) are poorly understood. This study investigated the ultrastructure and chemistry of (vasicentric) tracheids, vessels, (libriform) fibers and axial/ray parenchyma cells of English oak xylem (Quercus robur L.) using light-, fluorescence- and transmission electron microscopy combined with histo/cytochemistry and immunohisto/ cytochemistry. EW tracheids showed several differences from LW tracheids including thinner cell walls, wider middle lamella cell corner (MLcc) regions and lesser amounts of mannan epitopes. Fibers showed thicker cell walls and higher amounts of mannan epitopes than tracheids. EW vessels were rich in guaiacyl (G) lignin with a characteristic non-layered cell wall organization (absence of S1–3 layers), whereas LW vessels were rich in syringyl (S) lignin with a three layered cell wall structure (S1–3 layers). Formation of a highly lignified and wide protective layer (PL) inside axial/ray parenchyma cells was detected only in EW. Distribution of mannan epitopes varied greatly between cell types and between EW and LW, whereas distribution of xylan epitopes was almost identical in all cell types within a growth ring. Together, this study demonstrates that there are great variations in ultrastructure and chemistry of cell walls within a single growth ring of English oak xylem.


2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 1295-1310
Author(s):  
Dong Wang ◽  
Lanying Lin ◽  
Feng Fu ◽  
Mizi Fan

Author(s):  
S. E. Keckler ◽  
D. M. Dabbs ◽  
N. Yao ◽  
I. A. Aksay

Cellular organic structures such as wood can be used as scaffolds for the synthesis of complex structures of organic/ceramic nanocomposites. The wood cell is a fiber-reinforced resin composite of cellulose fibers in a lignin matrix. A single cell wall, containing several layers of different fiber orientations and lignin content, is separated from its neighboring wall by the middle lamella, a lignin-rich region. In order to achieve total mineralization, deposition on and in the cell wall must be achieved. Geological fossilization of wood occurs as permineralization (filling the void spaces with mineral) and petrifaction (mineralizing the cell wall as the organic component decays) through infiltration of wood with inorganics after growth. Conversely, living plants can incorporate inorganics into their cells and in some cases into the cell walls during growth. In a recent study, we mimicked geological fossilization by infiltrating inorganic precursors into wood cells in order to enhance the properties of wood. In the current work, we use electron microscopy to examine the structure of silica formed in the cell walls after infiltration of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS).


Holzforschung ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanie Stanzl-Tschegg ◽  
Wilfried Beikircher ◽  
Dieter Loidl

Abstract Thermal modification is a well established method to improve the dimensional stability and the durability for outdoor use of wood. Unfortunately, these improvements are usually accompanied with a deterioration of mechanical performance (e.g., reduced strength or higher brittleness). In contrast, our investigations of the hardness properties in the longitudinal direction of beech wood revealed a significant improvement with thermal modification. Furthermore, we applied instrumented indentation tests on different hierarchical levels of wood structure (growth ring and cell wall level) to gain closer insights on the mechanisms of thermal treatment of wood on mechanical properties. This approach provides a variety of mechanical data (e.g., elastic parameters, hardness parameters, and viscoelastic properties) from one single experiment. Investigations on the influence of thermal treatment on the mechanical properties of beech revealed similar trends on the growth ring as well as the on the cell wall level of the wood structure.


1989 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 1339-1346 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. T. Ho ◽  
D. D. L. Chung

Unidirectional and continuous carbon fiber tin-matrix composites were used for the packaging of the high-temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3O7–δ by diffusion bonding at 170 °C and 500 psi. Tin served as the adhesive and to increase the ductility, the normal-state electrical conductivity, and the thermal conductivity. Carbon fibers served to increase the strength and the modulus, both in tension along the fiber direction and in compression perpendicular to the fiber layers, though they decreased the strength in compression along the fiber direction. Carbon fibers also served to increase the thermal conductivity and the thermal fatigue resistance. At 24 vol. % fibers, the tensile strength was approximately equal to the compressive strength perpendicular to the fiber layers. With further increase of the fiber content, the tensile strength exceeded the compressive strength perpendicular to the fiber layers, reaching 134 MPa at 31 vol. % fibers. For fiber contents less than 30 vol. %, the compressive ductility perpendicular to the fiber layers exceeded that of the plain superconductor. At 30 vol. % fibers, the tensile modulus reached 15 GPa at room temperature and 27 GPa at 77 K. The tensile load was essentially sustained by the carbon fibers and the superconducting behavior was maintained after tension almost to the point of tensile fracture. Neither Tc nor Jc was affected by the composite processing.


Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (20) ◽  
pp. 4622
Author(s):  
Piotr Kowalik ◽  
Tomasz Lipa ◽  
Zenia Michałojć ◽  
Mirosława Chwil

Calcium is one of the most poorly reutilized nutrients. Its deficiencies cause various physiological disturbances and, consequently, reduce the quantity and quality of yields. Reduced content of Ca2+ ions in cells leads to development of, e.g., bitter pit in apples. Efficient and instantaneous mitigation of Ca2+ deficiencies is provided by foliar feeding. There are no detailed data on the effect of foliar feeding with various calcium forms on the cell structure or on the microanalysis and mapping of this element in apple fruit cells. Therefore, we carried out comparative studies of the ultrastructure of epidermis and hypodermis cells, to assess the content and distribution of calcium in the cell wall, cytoplasmic membrane, cytoplasm, and precipitates of Malus domestica Borkh. ‘Szampion’ fruit exposed to four Ca treatments, including the control with no additional Ca supplementation (I) and foliar applications of Ca(NO3)2 (II), CaCl2 (III), and Ca chelated with EDTA (IV). Light and transmission electron microscopy and an X-ray microanalyzer were used and showed a beneficial effect of calcium preparations on the ultrastructure of fruit epidermis and hypodermis cells, manifested in the presence of a normally developed cell wall with a regular middle lamella, preserved continuity of cytoplasmic membranes, and stabilized cell structure. In the selected elements of apical epidermis cells, the highest level of Ca2+ ions was detected in the middle lamella, cell wall, plasmalemma, and cytoplasm. The highest increase in the Ca2+ content in these cell constituents was recorded in treatment IV, whereas the lowest value of the parameters was noted in variant III.


2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (6) ◽  
pp. 733-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eiji Uheda ◽  
Hiroyuki Daimon ◽  
Fumiki Yoshizako

Tufted rosettes of long root hairs occur in axils of young lateral roots of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.). Analyses of serial sections of the axils of emerging lateral roots revealed multiple layers of root hair cells. The cells of the outer layer partially overlie the adjacent cells of the inner layer. When Bradyrhizobium cells with an integrated gusA gene were inoculated onto peanut roots and the roots subsequently stained with X-gluc, blue spots indicating the presence of colonies of Bradyrhizobium were observed in the axils of lateral roots. Blue spots were also observed in other areas on the root surface. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the primary wall of the base of root hair cells has a loose construction. Upon inoculation of Bradyrhizobium, bacteria entered only between root hair cells through the middle lamella. In other areas of the root surface other than axils of lateral roots, the cells had modified walls similar to those at the base of root hair cells. However, invasion by Bradyrhizobium of the cell wall was not observed.Key words: Arachis hypogaea, gusA-marked Bradyrhizobium, cell wall, invasion, root hair cell, root nodules.


1977 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 665-666
Author(s):  
Zdzisław Jasieński

Holzforschung ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Andersons ◽  
Guna Noldt ◽  
Gerald Koch ◽  
Ingeborga Andersone ◽  
Anete Meija-Feldmane ◽  
...  

Abstract Thermal modification (TM) of wood has occupied a relatively narrow but stable niche as an alternative for chemical wood protection. There are different technological solutions for TM and not all details of their effects on wood tissue have been understood. The one-stage hydrothermal modification (HTM) at elevated vapour pressure essentially changes the wood’s composition and structure. In the present paper, the changes in three hardwood lignins (alder, aspen, and birch) were observed within the cell wall by means of cellular UV microspectrophotometry. The lignin absorbances in the compound middle lamella (CML) of unmodified wood are 1.7- to 2.0-fold higher than those in the fibre S2 layer. The woods were modified in the temperature range from 140 to 180°C, while in the lower temperature range (140°C/1 h), the UV absorbances are little affected. Essential changes occur in the range of 160–180°C and the UV data reflect these by absorbtion changes, while the absorbances at 278 nm rise with factors around 2 more in the S2 layer than in the CML. The absorbance increments are interpreted as polycondensation reactions with furfural and other degradation products of hemicelluloses with the lignin moiety of the cell wall.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document