• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.3 s.131
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• pp.64-71
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• 2005

In this study, we attempted to apply ultrasonic treatment for the preservative treatment of two softwood species, Korean pine and Japanese red pines to evaluate its effectiveness. Wood samples were submerged in oilborne preservative, copper naphthenate (NCU) and waterborne preservative, alkyl ammonium compound (AAC) and then treated with ultrasonic wave of 40 kHz, 400 W. After the treatment, the retention and penetration depth of these preservatives in the specimens were measured as a function of treatment time. Both the retention and penetration depth were continuously increased with increasing the treatment time up to 120 hours, where the retention reached about 95% by the application of AAC and the penetrating depth of 95% and 83% by the application of NCU, respectively for both species. The results of electronic microscopic observation showed that the improved retention capacity could be attributed to air deflation, wood extractive deflation working of ultrasonic wavelength, and destruction of wood pits which served as the pathway of preservatives. The results suggested that the use of ultrasonic treatment could be applied to thick wood veneers for the production of laminated wood products.