Propiedades físico-mecánicas de la madera de Eucalyptus globulus (Argentina) y su vinculación con la calidad de sitio y edad de plantación

Abstract

The aim of this work was to study the physical and mechanical properties of Eucalyptus globulus wood from Buenos Aires (Argentina) and relate them to the site quality and planting age. 23 trees from 10 to 15 years old and with site index from 20.9 m to 34.4 m in height were sampled, which were sawn to obtain specimens. Physical properties (density, percentage of heartwood in relation to the area of the section, dimensional changes) and mechanical properties (static bending, hardness, and penetration resistance) were determined. The results showed that, regardless of the site or age, the wood had an average density of 699 ± 57 kg m-³, a heartwood percentage of 54 ± 8 %, an anisotropy coefficient of 1.6 ± 0.2, and elastic modulus of 10,934 ± 3,034 MPa, modulus of rupture of 100.07 ± 16.97 MPa and Brinell hardness of 2.7 ± 0.7 kN mm-². These values suggest that wood is suitable for good-quality sawn products, both for solid and reconstituted uses. The indices from higher sites produced wood with greater dimensional stability associated with lower anisotropy coefficients, without being associated with changes in density, heartwood content, and mechanical properties. Planting age only influenced heartwood content; older trees recorded higher heartwood content. The evaluated physical-mechanical properties were not correlated with growth parameters. A high correlation was observed between the penetration resistance with respect to the density and hardness and between the density and modulus of elasticity.