Method for producing ultra-stable and enhanced solid wood flooring for under-floor heating via surface compression technique

Abstract

A method for producing an ultra-stable and enhanced solid wood flooring for under-floor heating via surface compression technique includes: subjecting, while subjecting a solid wood to surface compression and enhancement, the solid wood to primary stabilization treatment by controlling a temperature of a hot pressing plate to obtain a compressed enhanced solid wood; putting the compressed enhanced solid wood into a heat treatment tank; and subjecting the compressed enhanced solid wood to secondary stabilization treatment by controlling a pressure and a temperature of steam or air in the heat treatment tank and a treatment time to obtain a finished product. The ultra-stable surface-compressed enhanced solid wood flooring produced by the method features high dimensional stability, low set-recovery after water absorption, and desired moisture and heat resistance.

Claims

1. A method for producing an ultra-stable and enhanced solid wood flooring for under-floor heating via surface compression technique, comprising: subjecting, while subjecting a solid wood to surface compression and enhancement, the solid wood to primary stabilization treatment by controlling a temperature of a hot pressing plate, to obtain a compressed enhanced solid wood; putting the compressed enhanced solid wood into a heat treatment tank; and subjecting the compressed enhanced solid wood to secondary stabilization treatment by controlling a pressure and temperature of steam or a mixture of steam and air in the heat treatment tank and a treatment time to obtain a finished product; wherein the primary stabilization treatment comprises: spraying, dipping or immersing the solid wood with water until a surface water volume of the solid wood increases by 0.025-0.200 g/cm.sup.2; putting the solid wood into the hot pressing plate at 100-200° C., and quickly closing the hot pressing plate in no more than 1 min to ensure a pressure of less than 1 MPa in a closed state; heating the hot pressing plate at 130-160° C. for 10-60 s; compressing the solid wood at 3-8 MPa to a set thickness of 12-20 mm and a surface density of 0.70 g/cm.sup.3 or more; holding the thickness under 3-8 MPa for 3-5 min; decreasing the pressure of the hot pressing plate to 0.8-1.2 MPa, and decreasing the temperature of the hot pressing plate to 60° C. or below and taking the solid wood out, thereby completing the primary stabilization treatment; wherein the secondary stabilization treatment comprises: stacking the compressed enhanced solid wood obtained through the primary stabilization treatment; putting the compressed enhanced solid wood into the heat treatment tank by clamping the compressed enhanced solid wood with a pressure of 0.5-1.5 MPa or pressing the compressed enhanced solid wood with a counterweight; heating the heat treatment tank up to 160-200° C.; introducing the steam or the mixture of steam and air into the heat treatment tank to increase a pressure in the heat treatment tank to 0.05-0.10 MPa; holding the temperature and the pressure of the heat treatment tank for 0.5-1.0 h; and adjusting a relationship between the pressure in the heat treatment tank and the treatment time according to an exponential function y=ae.sup.−bx; wherein, y denotes the pressure in the heat treatment tank, and y ranges from a normal pressure to 1.5 MPa; x denotes the treatment time, and x is 2-720 min; and a and b are constants, a being 0.9-1.2, and b being 0.01-0.03; and stopping heating after adjustment is completed; decreasing the pressure at a rate of 0.012 MPa/min or below by discharging the steam; decreasing the temperature to 80° C. or below by cold water; opening the heat treatment tank; and taking, when the temperature in the heat treatment tank is decreased to 60° C. or below, the solid wood out to obtain the finished product, thereby completing the secondary stabilization treatment.

2. The method for producing the ultra-stable and enhanced solid wood flooring for under-floor heating via surface compression technique according to claim 1, wherein the primary stabilization treatment comprises: spraying, dipping or immersing the solid wood with water until the surface water volume of the solid wood increases by 0.05-0.10 g/cm.sup.2; putting the solid wood into the hot pressing plate at 145° C., and quickly closing the hot pressing plate in no more than 1 min to ensure a pressure of less than 1 MPa in a closed state; heating the hot pressing plate at 145-160° C. for 15-30 s; compressing the solid wood at 5-6 MPa to a set thickness of 15-18 mm and the surface density of 0.70 g/cm.sup.3 or more; holding the thickness under 5-6 MPa for 3-5 min; decreasing the pressure of the hot pressing plate to 1 MPa, and decreasing the temperature of the hot pressing plate to 60° C. or below; and taking the solid wood out, thereby completing the primary stabilization treatment.

3. The method for producing the ultra-stable and enhanced solid wood flooring for under-floor heating via surface compression technique according to claim 1, wherein the secondary stabilization treatment comprises: stacking the compressed enhanced solid wood obtained through the primary stabilization treatment; putting the compressed enhanced solid wood into the heat treatment tank by clamping the compressed enhanced solid wood with a pressure of 1 MPa or pressing the compressed enhanced solid wood with the counterweight; heating the heat treatment tank up to 180° C.; introducing the steam or the mixture of steam and air into the heat treatment tank to increase the pressure in the heat treatment tank to 0.05-0.10 MPa; holding the temperature and the pressure of the heat treatment tank for 0.5-0.8 h; and adjusting the relationship between the pressure in the heat treatment tank and the treatment time according to the exponential function y=ae.sup.−bx; wherein, y denotes the pressure in the heat treatment tank, and y ranges from the normal pressure to 1.5 MPa; x denotes the treatment time, and x is 2-720 min; and a and b are constants, a being 0.9-1.2, and b being 0.01-0.03; and stopping heating after the adjustment is completed; decreasing the pressure at the rate of 0.012 MPa/min or below by discharging the steam; decreasing the temperature to 80° C. or below by cold water; opening the heat treatment tank; and taking, when the temperature in the heat treatment tank is decreased to 60° C. or below, the solid wood out to obtain the finished product, thereby completing the secondary stabilization treatment.

4. The method for producing the ultra-stable and enhanced solid wood flooring for under-floor heating via surface compression technique according to claim 1, wherein the solid wood has a density of less than 0.6 g/cm.sup.3, a thickness of 15-50 mm, and a moisture content of 15% or below.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIGURE shows a relationship between a pressure in a heat treatment tank and a treatment time during secondary stabilization treatment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

(2) The present disclosure is further described below with reference to the drawings and examples, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

(3) Example 1: A method for producing an ultra-stable and enhanced solid wood flooring for under-floor heating via surface compression technique includes the following steps. A flat solid wood is selected, which has a density of 0.4 g/cm.sup.3, a moisture content of 15% or below and a thickness of 30 mm. The solid wood is sprayed, dipped or immersed with water until a surface water volume of the solid wood increases by 0.1 g/cm.sup.2. The solid wood is put into a hot pressing plate at 150° C., and the hot pressing plate is quickly closed in no more than 1 min to ensure a pressure of less than 1 MPa in a closed state. The hot pressing plate is heated at 150° C. for 50 s, and the solid wood is compressed at 4 MPa to a set thickness of 20 mm and a surface density of 0.85 g/cm.sup.3. The pressure is held for 5 min. The pressure of the hot pressing plate is decreased to 1 MPa, and the temperature of the hot pressing plate is decreased to 60° C. or below. The solid wood is taken out, thereby completing primary stabilization treatment.

(4) The compressed enhanced solid wood obtained through the primary stabilization treatment is stacked, and put into a heat treatment tank by clamping the compressed enhanced solid wood with a pressure of 1 MPa or pressing the compressed enhanced solid wood with a counterweight. The heat treatment tank is heated up to 170° C. Then steam or a mixture of steam and air is introduced into the heat treatment tank to increase a pressure in the heat treatment tank to 0.06 MPa, and the pressure is held for 0.6 h. As shown in FIGURE, a relationship between the pressure in the heat treatment tank and the treatment time is adjusted according to an exponential function y=ae.sup.−bx.

(5) In the formula, y denotes the pressure in the heat treatment tank, and y ranges from a normal pressure to 1.5 MPa; x denotes the treatment time, and x is 2-720 min; and a and b are constants, a being 0.9-1.2, and b being 0.01-0.03.

(6) The heating is stopped after adjustment is completed. The pressure is decreased at a rate of 0.012 MPa/min or below by discharging the steam, and the temperature is decreased by cold water until 80° C. or below. The heat treatment tank is opened, and when the temperature in the heat treatment tank is decreased to 60° C. or below, the solid wood is taken out to obtain a finished product, thereby completing secondary stabilization treatment.

(7) Example 2: A method for producing an ultra-stable and enhanced solid wood flooring for under-floor heating via surface compression technique includes the following steps. A flat solid wood is selected, which has a density of 0.4 g/cm.sup.3, a moisture content of 10% and a thickness of 30 mm. The solid wood is sprayed, dipped or immersed with water until a surface water volume of the solid wood increases by 0.03 g/cm.sup.2. The solid wood is put into a hot pressing plate at 160° C., and the hot pressing plate is quickly closed in no more than 1 min to ensure a pressure of less than 1 MPa in a closed state. The hot pressing plate is heated at 160° C. for 40 s, and the solid wood is compressed at 5 MPa to a set thickness of 20 mm and a surface density of 0.95 g/cm.sup.3. The pressure is held for 5 min. The pressure of the hot pressing plate is decreased to 1 MPa, and the temperature of the hot pressing plate is decreased to 60° C. or below. The solid wood is taken out, thereby completing primary stabilization treatment.

(8) The compressed enhanced solid wood obtained through the primary stabilization treatment is stacked, and put into a heat treatment tank by clamping the compressed enhanced solid wood with a pressure of 1 MPa or pressing the compressed enhanced solid wood with a counterweight. The heat treatment tank is heated up to 180° C. Then steam is introduced into the heat treatment tank to increase a pressure in the heat treatment tank to 0.1 MPa, and the pressure is held for 0.8 h. A relationship between the pressure in the heat treatment tank and the treatment time is adjusted according to an exponential function y=ae.sup.−bx.

(9) In the formula, y denotes the pressure in the heat treatment tank, and y ranges from a normal pressure to 1.5 MPa; x denotes the treatment time, and x is 2-720 min; and a and b are constants, a being 0.9-1.2, and b being 0.01-0.03.

(10) The heating is stopped after adjustment is completed. The pressure is decreased at a rate of 0.012 MPa/min or below by discharging the steam, and the temperature is decreased by cold water until 80° C. or below. The heat treatment tank is opened, and when the temperature in the heat treatment tank is decreased to 60° C. or below, the solid wood is taken out to obtain a finished product, thereby completing secondary stabilization treatment.

(11) Example 3: A method for producing an ultra-stable and enhanced solid wood flooring for under-floor heating via surface compression technique includes the following steps. A flat solid wood is selected, which has a density of 0.4 g/cm.sup.3, a moisture content of 10% and a thickness of 30 mm. The solid wood is sprayed, dipped or immersed with water until a surface water volume of the solid wood increases by 0.05 g/cm.sup.2. The solid wood is put into a hot pressing plate at 145° C., and the hot pressing plate is quickly closed in no more than 1 min to ensure a pressure of less than 1 MPa in a closed state. The hot pressing plate is heated at 145° C. for 40 s, and the solid wood is compressed at 5 MPa to a set thickness of 20 mm and a surface density of 0.90 g/cm.sup.3. The pressure is held for 4 min. The pressure of the hot pressing plate is decreased to 1 MPa, and the temperature of the hot pressing plate is decreased to 60° C. or below. The solid wood is taken out, thereby completing primary stabilization treatment.

(12) The compressed enhanced solid wood obtained through the primary stabilization treatment is stacked, and put into a heat treatment tank by clamping the compressed enhanced solid wood with a pressure of 1 MPa or pressing the compressed enhanced solid wood with a counterweight. The heat treatment tank is heated up to 180° C. Then a mixture of steam and air is introduced into the heat treatment tank to increase a pressure in the heat treatment tank to 0.1 MPa, and the pressure is held for 0.6 h. A relationship between the pressure in the heat treatment tank and the treatment time is adjusted according to an exponential function y=ae.sup.−bx.

(13) In the formula, y denotes the pressure in the heat treatment tank, and y ranges from a normal pressure to 1.5 MPa; x denotes the treatment time, and x is 2-720 min; and a and b are constants, a being 0.9-1.2, and b being 0.01-0.03.

(14) The heating is stopped after adjustment is completed. The pressure is decreased at a rate of 0.012 MPa/min or below by discharging the steam, and the temperature is decreased by cold water until 80° C. or below. The heat treatment tank is opened, and when the temperature in the heat treatment tank is decreased to 60° C. or below, the solid wood is taken out to obtain a finished product, thereby completing secondary stabilization treatment.

(15) Comparative Example: Commercially Available Surface-Compressed Solid Wood Flooring for Under-Floor Heating

(16) The finished products prepared in Examples 1 to 3, the semi-finished products prepared through the primary stabilization treatment, and the commercially available surface-compressed solid wood flooring for under-floor heating in the comparative example were tested. The dimensional stability test was carried out according to the method specified in the Chinese national standard GBT 35913-2018 “Technical requirements of solid wood flooring for ground with heating system”.

(17) The set-recovery of the compressed floor or substrate after moisture absorption was measured as follows: immerse the sample in water for 48 h, vacuumize for 1 h under the water immersion condition, continue to immerse for 6 h, and measure the thickness of the sample; then take the sample out and air-dry in a room for 2 days; oven-dry at 60° C. for 24 h, and dry at (103±2)° C. until a zero moisture content; and measure the thickness. The set-recovery was calculated as follows:

(18) $RS=\frac{\mathrm{dr}-\mathrm{dc}}{d0-\mathrm{dc}}⨯100\%$

(19) In the formula: RS (%) denotes the set-recovery; d0 (mm) denotes an oven-dry thickness before hot pressing; dc (mm) denotes an oven-dry thickness after hot pressing; dr (mm) denotes an oven-dry thickness after water absorption.

(20) The test results of dimensional stability and set-recovery are shown in Table 1 (where “none” means no statistical calculation is performed).

(21) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Test results of dimensional stability and set-recovery of examples and comparative example Heat resistance Moisture resistance (width) (width) Improved Improved Set-recovery dimensional Dimensional dimensional Dimensional after water stability change rate stability change rate absorption Example 1 89.3% 0.16% 90.0% 0.08%  0 Example 2 92.0% 0.12% 92.5% 0.06%  0 Example 3 88.0% 0.18% 87.5% 0.10%  0 Comparative Example — 1.50% — 0.80% None Compressed enhanced solid wood 19.3% 1.21% 16.3% 0.67% 78% obtained after primary stabilization treatment in Example 1 Compressed enhanced solid wood 21.3% 1.18% 18.8% 0.65% 69% obtained after primary stabilization treatment in Example 2 Compressed enhanced solid wood 16.0% 1.26% 12.5% 0.70% 81% obtained after primary stabilization treatment in Example 3

(22) Table 1 shows that, while subjecting the solid wood to surface compression and enhancement, the present disclosure subjects the solid wood to the primary stabilization treatment by controlling the temperature of the hot pressing plate. After the primary stabilization treatment, the dimensional stability of the compressed enhanced solid wood was improved by more than 30%. After the secondary stabilization treatment, the dimensional stability of the finished product was improved by 90%, which was much higher than that of the comparative example. Table 1 also shows that the moisture and heat-induced dimensional change rates of the compressed solid wood obtained by the present disclosure are at least 75% lower than those specified by the Chinese national standard, which stipulates that the moisture-induced dimensional change rate should be less than 0.8% and the heat-induced dimensional change rate should be less than 1.5%. In addition, the dimensional stability is improved by more than 90%, and the set-recovery after compression is reduced to 0, that is, there is no resilience after compression. The decreases in the moisture and heat-induced dimensional change rates in the present disclosure are superior to those in the comparative example. Therefore, the ultra-stable surface-compressed enhanced solid wood flooring produced by the method of the present disclosure features high dimensional stability, low set-recovery after water absorption, and desired moisture and heat resistance.