THE EFFECT OF HIGH-TEMPERATURE DRYING ON THE ANTISPLITTING PROPERTIES OF MAKINO BAMBOO CULM (PHYLLOSTACHYS-MAKINOI HAY)

The anatomical structure of bamboo culm is governed by the number, arrangement, shape and size of the vascular bundles. The vascular bundles at the peripheral zone of the culm are small and numerous, while those of the inner part are larger in size and smaller in number. No radial cell elements are present in the culm. Due to these peculiar structures, bamboo culms are susceptible to splitting during seasoning. This problem has been overcome by applying a high-temperature drying technique. When makino bamboo (Phyllostachys makinoi Hay.) culms were dried under elevated temperatures (from 60-degrees-C up to 120-degrees-C), no splits occurred on the culm surface. This phenomenon is explained by chemical composition analysis, mechanical properties associated with physical changes, scanning electron microscope and x-ray diffractometer observations.