Abstract
The Young's and shear moduli of two lignins have been measured at several moisture contents. Cylindrical test specimens moulded from periodate and Klason lignin powders were conditioned to the required moisture contents and tested in tension and torsion. The Young's modulus of periodate lignin increased linearly from 3.1x109 to 6.7x109 Pa, and the shear modulus from 1.2x109 to 2.1x109 Pa as the moisture content of the lignin decreased from 12 to 3.6%. Klason lignin showed similar behaviour but its moduli were always much lower. This was probably a consequence of the more drastic alteration undergone by the Klason lignin during its isolation from the wood cell wall.
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I am indebted to Messrs M. B. Forsyth and L. P. Lowe for assistance with the design and construction of the testing equipment used in this work.
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Cousins, W.J. Elastic modulus of lignin as related to moisture content. Wood Sci.Technol. 10, 9–17 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00376380
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00376380