Interaction of technical and technological factors on qualitative and energy/ecological/economic indicators in the production and processing of thermally modified merbau wood

Abstract Thermal modification of wood is a technological intervention primarily aimed at improving the dimensional stability and decay resistance of wood, making it suitable for outdoor application. Despite the fact that this process is widely used today, there is still a lack of knowledge about the effect of thermal modification on the surface quality of wood processed with conventional milling. This study focuses on two basic areas that significantly influence the economy of production and the quality of thermally modified wood. The first part deals with the evaluation of the effect of modification temperature on the chemical composition of wood. The second part deals with the effect of machining parameters, namely cutting speed, feed rate and rake angle, on selected surface quality parameters (roughness, waviness). The interaction between modification temperature, chemical change and machining parameters was also evaluated. The result of this study suggests the optimal combination of processing parameters necessary to achieve higher surface quality with the lowest energy consumption, considering the intrinsic properties of the studied species.