TECHNOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WOOD OF Luehea divaricata, Carya illinoinensis AND Platanus x acerifolia WHEN SUBMITTED TO BENDING

This work was conducted with the purpose of investigating bending characteristics of the wood of Platanus x acerifolia (Ait.) Willd., Luehea divaricata Mart. et Zucc and Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh) K. Koch. Such species were collected from non-managed forests located in Depressão Central and Encosta Superior do Nordeste, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Five representative adult trees from each species per studied area were cut down, corresponding to a total of thirty trees. From the trunk, a 2.5 m long log was taken and, afterwards, transported to a sawmill for processing. A central 8 cm thick plank was sawn, from which samples for bending were manufactured. The samples were conditioned in standard room to a moisture content of approximately 14%. Then, the samples were placed in boiling water during 35 minutes and bended in rays of 16 and 21cm. For the qualification of the bending defects, the methodology presented by Vorreiter (1958) was used. Results showed that the wood of Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh) K. Koch had the best bending characteristics when compared to the other two species, independently of the ray bending tested. It seems that the ring porosity, characteristic of the Carya illinoinensis wood, contributed to the result. On the other hand, the wood of Platanus x acerifolia (Ait.) Willd. and Luehea divaricata Mart. et Zucc, with diffuse porosity and larger parenchyma proportion, presented more defective pieces.