Processing bulk natural wood into a high-performance structural material

[brandonbull]

https://www.scientificamerican.com/...-speeding-bullet-mdash-it-rsquo-s-super-wood/

https://www.nature.com/articles/nat...&tracking_referrer=www.scientificamerican.com

This sounds awesome. I could imagine using this as new building materials for areas that are frequently impacted by hurricanes or other string winds events.

 

[sdifox]

I hope they figure out how to clean up the chemical mess left behind.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

I hope they figure out how to clean up the chemical mess left behind.

You don't know much about chemistry do you?

This is a significant breakthrough that, if proven correct, would have a much lower environmental impact than any current treated plywood process.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Sounds like it would be great material for beams and maybe materials exposed to the elements like decking and roofing.

Once you make it "three times as dense" as wood, it's still considered "lightweight"? I suppose the idea is that if it has super strength, then you use much less of the material, similar to titanium.

 

[momeNt]

Amazing! Wood is already one of the most amazing structural materials on the planet as far as its cost / benefit, to greatly enhance it at little cost is a huge breakthrough.

 

[IronWing]

This is cool. Thanks for posting it, OP. I'm curious if densified wood is more resistant to mold, fungus, insect, and rodent damage.

 

[sdifox]

You don't know much about chemistry do you?

This is a significant breakthrough that, if proven correct, would have a much lower environmental impact than any current treated plywood process.

don't know much about chemistry. I am just going by pulping byproduct since this shares the first step.


Let's just say pulp mills have a vey poor environmental record up here

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario_Minamata_disease

 

[BudAshes]

I'm imaging a modern version of this:

 

[IronWing]

I'm imaging a modern version of this:

Get a Morgan.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Get a Morgan.

Get a Family Truckster

 

[IronWing]

Get a Family Truckster

I had one.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I know most engineered hardwoods are already pretty fire resistant, I wonder how flammable this stuff is. I mean, you don't want buildings to be super flammable as that generally results in large scale tragedy.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Sounds like it would destroy lovely wood grain.

 

[Darwin333]

I know most engineered hardwoods are already pretty fire resistant, I wonder how flammable this stuff is. I mean, you don't want buildings to be super flammable as that generally results in large scale tragedy.

There are numerous coatings and sprays that can give traditional woods a class A fire rating. This new product might be naturally fire resistant but if not I don't see why existing products can't be used to make it so.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Sounds like it would destroy lovely wood grain.

Sounds like it's meant to be structural, not decorative.