Role of the Gelatinous Layer (G-Layer) on the Origin of the Physical Properties of the Tension Wood of Acer sieboldianum

Hiroyuki Yamamoto (1) , Kentaro Abe (1) , Yoshiharu Arakawa (1) , Takashi Okuyama (1) , Joseph Gril (2)

1 SBS-NAGOYA - School of Bioagricultural Sciences
2 LMGC - Laboratoire de Mécanique et Génie Civil

The tension wood (TW) properties of a 70 year-old Acer sieboldianum Miq were analyzed by using the G-fiber model which was proposed in our previous paper. The roles of the G-layer on the origins of (1) a high large tensile growth stress, (2) a large longitudinal Young's modulus, and (3) a high longitudinal drying shrinkage in the tension wood xylem were discussed on the basis of the simulations using the G-fiber model. The results suggest that the G-layer generates a high tensile stress in the longitudinal direction during the xylem maturation; the longitudinal Young's modulus of the green G-layer becomes significantly higher than that of the lignified layer; furthermore, the G-layer tends to shrink extraordinarily higher than that of the lignified layer during the moisture desorption.

Mots clés: wood; Cellulose microfibril; Gelatinous fiber; Growth stress ･ wood cell wall; Reaction wood

Domaines: Mécanique des matériaux [physics.class-ph]

Hiroyuki Yamamoto, Kentaro Abe, Yoshiharu Arakawa, Takashi Okuyama, Joseph Gril. Role of the Gelatinous Layer (G-Layer) on the Origin of the Physical Properties of the Tension Wood of Acer sieboldianum. Journal of Wood Science, 2005, 51 (3), pp.222-233. ⟨10.1007/s10086-004-0639-x⟩. ⟨hal-00004591⟩