The Behavior of Pit Membranes in Softwood under the Centrifugal Field
Park Jong Su; Hayashi Kazuo; Wakabayashi Nobuyuki
Abstract:The behavior of pit membrane was examined from the dehydration process under the centrifugal field. According to this method, an arbitrary pressure difference (water potential by the centrifuge) is obtained by the rotational speed and the distance inward the dehydration surface. The pressure differential required to close the pit aperture by the pit membrane was evaluated as the range from 0.119 MPa to 0.178 MPa for sapwood of Sugi. The portion treated by the pressure differential of 0.252 MPa was easier to dehydrate and it was estimated that the pit membranes in sapwood were broken by the pressure differential of 0.332 MPa. The SEM observation showed the breaks of the pit membrane.