Concise Encyclopedia of Wood and Wood-Based Materials: (Advances in Materials Sciences and Engineering)

73 articles, newly commissioned or revised from the acclaimed Encyclopedia of Materials Science & Engineering, cover the whole range of knowledge and current research in wood science. Topics discussed include the availability of economics and timber resources, wood products such as plywood and mineral-bonded wood composites, the major commercial and wood species of the world, fundamentals of wood properties and behavior, factors causing deterioration and their control and principal processing methods. Recent developments in the use of acoustic emission techniques and biotechnology in wood processing are dealt with and the range of materials covered includes woody materials such as bamboo, coconut wood and rattan, not hitherto treated by any similar publication. Extensively illustrated, with nearly 200 photographs, drawings and tables in over 300 pages, each article is intended to serve as the primary source of information on a given topic. The reader is guided to further reading by helpful cross-references and nearly 500 up-to-date citations in the bibliographies at the end of each article. A comprehensive, three-level subject index is also provided.The Concise Encyclopedia of Wood & Wood-Based Materials will be invaluable to architects, engineers, builders, plant managers, wood technologists, purchasing agents, politicians, timber merchants, and furniture manufacturers.

Table of Contents:
A Selection of Articles: Acoustic emission and acousto-ultrasonic characteristics. Acoustic properties. Archaeological wood. Bamboo. Biotechnology in wood processing. Building with wood. Chemical composition. Coconut wood. Cork. Density and porosity. Design with wood. Deterioration by insects and other animals during use. Fire and wood. Future availability. Glued laminated timber. Hardboard and insulation board. History of timber use. Lignin-based polymers. Lumber: Types and grades. Macroscopic anatomy. Paper and paperboard. Particleboard and dry-process fiberboard. Plywood. Protective finishes and coatings. Rattan and cane. Resources of timber worldwide. Stringed instruments: Wood selection. Shrinking and swelling. Surface chemistry. Thermal degradation. Timbers of Africa. Timbers of Europe. Timbers of the Far East. Ultrastructure. Weathering. Wood-polymer composites. Index. 800 lit. refs. approx. 100 illus.

Review :
The book presents a complete source of technical information for anyone who uses wood or who must make decisions on the use of wood, wood-based or woody materials. Therefore, it will be a valuable publication that wood technologists and any user of wood consult worldwide and which - even though not written as a textbook - will also widely be used as a standard reference for teaching wood technology. Wood Science and Technology