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Composition and structure of balsa (Ochroma pyramidale) wood

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Abstract

Balsa, with its low density and relatively high mechanical properties, is frequently used as the core in structural sandwich panels, in applications ranging from wind turbine blades to racing yachts. Here, both the cellular and cell wall structure of balsa are described, to enable multi-scale modeling and an improved understanding of its mechanical properties. The cellular structure consists of fibers (66–76 %), rays (20–25 %) and vessels (3–9 %). The density of balsa ranges from roughly 60 to 380 kg/m3; the large density variation derives largely from the fibers, which decrease in edge length and increase in wall thickness as the density increases. The increase in cell wall thickness is predominantly due to a thicker secondary S2 layer. Cellulose microfibrils in the S2 layer are highly aligned with the fiber axis, with a mean microfibril angle (MFA) of about 1.4°. The cellulose crystallites are about 3 nm in width and 20–30 nm in length. The degree of cellulose crystallinity appears to be between 80 and 90 %, considerably higher than previously reported for other woods. The outstanding mechanical properties of balsa wood in relation to its weight are likely explained by the low MFA and the high cellulose crystallinity.

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Acknowledgments

Funding provided by BASF through the North American Center for Research on Advanced Materials (Program Manager Dr. Marc Schroeder; Dr. Holger Ruckdaeschel and Dr. Rene Arbter) is gratefully acknowledged. Mr. Timo Ylönen and Ms. Rita Hatakka from Aalto University (Finland) are thanked for their support in determining the chemical composition of balsa wood. Dr. Paavo Penttilä and Dr. Seppo Andersson from University of Helsinki (Finland) are thanked for their support with the X-ray scattering measurements and data analysis. Carolyn Marks is thanked for her work on sample preparation and TEM imaging, performed at the Center for Nanoscale Systems (CNS), a member of the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN), which is supported by the National Science Foundation under NSF Award No. ECS-0335765. CNS is part of Harvard University.

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  1. Marc Borrega

    Present address: Department of Forest Products Technology, Aalto University, PO Box 16300, 00076, Aalto, Finland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Marc Borrega & Lorna Gibson

  2. Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, PO Box 64, 00014, Helsinki, Finland

    Patrik Ahvenainen & Ritva Serimaa

Authors
  1. Marc Borrega
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  2. Patrik Ahvenainen
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  3. Ritva Serimaa
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  4. Lorna Gibson
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Correspondence to Lorna Gibson.

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Borrega, M., Ahvenainen, P., Serimaa, R. et al. Composition and structure of balsa (Ochroma pyramidale) wood. Wood Sci Technol 49, 403–420 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00226-015-0700-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00226-015-0700-5

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