Abrasion resistance of sessile oak in the direction of primary tree growth and in the opposite direction on radial and tangential sections

Abstract The primary goal of this paper was to determine if there is a difference in the intensity of abrasive wear on the radial and tangential sections of sessile oak ( Quercus petraea ) in the direction that matches or opposes the primary growth direction of the tree. The resistance to abrasion was tested on the samples using the standard 'dry sand–rubber wheel' method in both directions and on both sections. Owing to the heterogeneity of the wood structure, the abraded mass was recalculated to the abraded volume. It was found that changing the direction of abrasion relative to the primary growth direction significantly affects the abraded volume on both sections, particularly on the radial section. Abrasion was more intense when the direction of wear opposed the primary growth direction in both sections. The smallest abraded volume was measured on the radial section in the primary growth direction, and the largest was measured on the same section in the opposite direction. The distribution of results was analyzed using the Weibull distribution, with less dispersion observed in the radial section compared to the tangential section in both wear directions. The total volume loss from abrasive wear in both directions was only 3.7% greater in the tangential section compared to the radial section. These results are attributed to the complex and highly oriented microstructure of oak wood, but still not fully understood.