Microscopic Structure Of Hardwood
The microscope reveals that wood is composed of minute units called cells.
Microscopic structure of hardwood. The basic cell types are called tracheids vessel members fibres and parenchyma. Wood is categorized as either softwood or hardwood based on physical structure and makeup. An unknown hardwood sample could be just about anything. Such as few or numerous rather than by precise microscopic terms such as quantity per.
This happens to be generally true but there are exceptions such as in the cases of wood from yew trees a softwood that is relatively hard and wood from balsa trees a. Cells of softwood species. Microscopic structure of wood. Properties of wood before we go inside the tree let s look at the two basic classes of trees the broadleaved or deciduous trees that produce hardwoods and the coniferous or evergreen trees that.
Softwoods are made of tracheids and parenchyma and hardwoods of vessel members fibres. The microscopic cellular structure of wood including annual rings and rays produces the characteristic grain patterns in different species of trees the grain pattern is also determined by the plane in which the logs are cut at the saw mill. For example balsa wood is known as one of the softest and least dense types of wood yet it is categorized as hardwood. 2002 r richter oelker 2002 w wiedenhoeft 201 1 presented in the framework of the iaw a standard lists of microscopic features for hardwood and softwood identi cation iaw a 1989 2004.
In transverse or cross sections the annual rings appear like concentric bands with rays extending outward like the spokes of a wheel. Similarly wood from the yew tree which is one of the toughest woods and is harder than most types of oak is classified as softwood. Wood wood microstructure. Cells are connected together in various ways to form mass of wood.
According to estimates 1 cubic metre about 35 cubic feet of spruce wood contains 350 billion 500 billion cells. The process of separating the cells needed for microscopic observation is called maceration. Toward the outer wall of the trunk the density of the wood is the greatest and. Conditions of growth its structure and even some of its properties.
In hardwood trees such as oak the larger more pronounced. Classifying wood as either a hardwood or softwood comes down to its physical structure and makeup and so it is overly simple to think of hardwoods as being hard and durable compared to soft and workable softwoods.