Physical and Mechanical Properties of Paulownia tomentosa x elongata Sawn Wood from Spanish, Bulgarian and Serbian Plantations

The aim of this research is the characterization of physical and mechanical properties of Paulownia sawn wood from three plantation sites in Europe, namely Spain, Bulgaria and Serbia. As a fast-growing wood species, Paulownia has a significant positive forecast for the European markets and a wide range of possible applications that still need to be explored. For this purpose, Paulownia tomentosa(Tunb.) x elongata(S.Y. Hu) wood species was investigated. Sorption behaviour, Brinell hardness, 3-point bending strength, flexural modulus of elasticity, tensile strength, compressive strength and screw withdrawal resistance were examined in detail. The samples from Spain have the higher average bulk density (266 kg/m(3)), 3-point flexural strength (similar to 40 N/mm(2)), 3-point flexural modulus of elasticity (similar to 4900 N/mm(2)), compressive strength (similar to 23 N/mm(2)), tensile strength (similar to 44 N/mm(2)) and screw withdrawal resistance (similar to 56 N/mm). The plantation wood from Bulgaria has the highest average of annual ring width (46 mm). Paulownia wood has potential in lightweight applications and can replace successfully expensive tropical species as Balsa.

Automated summary

This research aims to characterize the physical and mechanical properties of Paulownia sawn wood from three plantation sites in Europe. The results show that Paulownia wood from Spain has higher density and strength indicators, while Paulownia wood from Bulgaria has the widest annual ring width. Paulownia wood has potential in lightweight applications and can successfully replace expensive tropical species.