Use of computed tomography to determine penetration paths and the distribution of melamine resin in thermally-modified beech veneers after plasma treatment

Abstract

In this study, X-ray computed tomography was used to detect flow paths and the distribution of melamine resin in thermally-modified and subsequently plasma-treated beech veneers. By introducing iodide as a contrast agent, the melamine resin deposition in veneer samples could be visualized and quantified. The investigations showed that the deposition of melamine resin within the lumina and cell walls of the reference samples was limited to near-surface areas. In contrast to the reference, the plasma-treated samples showed a higher loading with the modifier, both in the near surface and in the deeper areas of the sample. Increased resin infiltration was observed in the production-related micro-cracks only in the plasma-treated samples. Plasma-treated samples displayed a significant increase in impregnated volume compared to non-plasma-treated samples, both in the lumina and cell wall areas. © 2020 The Authors