Determination of Some Wood Properties and Response to Weathering of Citrus limon (L.) Burm Wood

Abstract

The ability of Citrus limon (L.) Burm wood to be used for flooring applications was considered in this work. Selected wood properties were determined, and the response to weathering was tested. Janka hardness, density, screw withdrawal resistance, color, glossiness, and artificial weathering (144, 288, and 432 h) were determined. The wood from Citrus limon was shown to be a dense wood with air density around 830 kg/m(3) and with a high Janka hardness of 138.0 N/mm(2), 120.4 N/mm(2), and 115.9 N/mm(2) for cross, tangential, and radial sections, respectively. This opens good perspectives to this kind of wood being used for flooring. Statistical analysis showed that both Janka hardness and screw withdrawal resistance were significantly different between surfaces. Nevertheless, the homogeneity groups showed that the main differences were between the surfaces in the longitudinal direction when compared with the transverse direction. The wood is lighter than most common woods and it is mainly yellow. After weathering, the wood became darker, redder, and yellower. Glossiness decreased in the first hours of the weathering period.