Transparent Wood: Uses in the Construction Industry
ENGL 421-010 Students: Hunter Mote, Madi Cundiff, Anthony Smith, Krista Marshall
Introduction to Transparent Wood
Transparent wood is an emerging technology that will hit the market
for use in large-scale projects within the next five years. Consumer
demand for “green” building projects is also expected to rise during this
time period. And since transparent wood is renewable, recyclable, and
biodegradable, it will soon become a highly sought after building material.
Not only is this material biodegradable, strucutrally sound, and easy to
implement, but it is also multi-functional. It provides a solution to two
significant challenges regularly faced by the construction industry -- how
to incorporate a greater proportion of natural, rather than artificial, light,
and how to minimize energy loss in commerical and residential buildings.
Transparent wood is chemically modified by removing lignin from
the cell walls and adding an acrylic to achieve up to 90% transparency.
Additionally,
polyethylene
glycol (PEG) is
incorporated
into the wood
structure during
modification.
This solid
compound melts
at 80 degrees
Fahrenheit, and
that phase-
change process
stores energy.
So, the PEG
absorbs the
sun’s heat during the day -- keeping the air indoors cool -- and releases
that heat inside as night falls, thereby maintaining a constant temperature.
Thus, the implementation of PEG would create a heat retention system
that reduces energy consumption in building construction. Figure 1
illustrates the modification process of transparent wood and how PEG is
implemented into the chemical process for heat retention.
Transparent Wood as a Traditional Window
Replacement
Increasing or decreasing the levels of delignification, in addition to
using different species of wood, allows the transparency to be controlled.
Figure 2 below illustrates the effects of controlling such parameters.
The amount of optical haze changes linearly as distance from the grid
paper changes, and depending upon the type of wood used. If the
material is intended for use as a skylight, the customer may desire high
transparency, with little amounts of color. if the customer instead chooses
to use the material as a greenhouse, color may not matter so much and
the transparency can fall closer to the middle of the scale.
A study by Huayang et al. (2019) was conducted based on a
miniature house constructed with 2- to 5-centimeter walls of transparent
wood. This study found that a 2-centimeter-thick wall with 40 percent
transparency and 97 percent haze can be a great median between
effectiveness and privacy. Also, a 0.5-centimeter-thick transparent roof
allowed 85 percent light transmittance. For comparison, glass is intended
to allow 100 percent light transmittance to maximize light in a home.
However, at least 4 percent is reflected from the glass on a double pane
window.
Overall, most traditional glass in a home, such as that found in privacy
windows and screen doors, can be replaced with transparent wood.
By applying heat to or removing heat from the window, transparency
increases or decreases, respectively. Therefore, the customer has the
option to control privacy. For example, a homeowner can open blinds,
curtains or window shakers to let in light while also impeding the ability
for outsiders to look in. Commerical builders, on the other hand, can use
the technology to install stronger storm proof windows.
Transparent Wood as Structural Lumber
Replacement
Traditionally, most construction in the United States involves wood
because its use saves time, money and weight. With a stick-built project, all
wood with exception of the studs can be replaced by transparent wood.
Sheathing made of transparent wood instead of traditional wood can be
particularly beneficial. The ability of sheathing to laterally secure a structure
and provide rigidity is enhanced by using transparent wood. This proposed
type of sheathing reinforces structures subject to inclement weather,
particuarly those structures found along the coastlines adjacent to Hurricane
Alley. Using transparent wood sheathing can also help reduce the extent of
the remodel after a devasting weather event. Less of the structure would be
damaged due to the superior strength of transparent wood. Therefore, the
building would not require as many repairs.
When the utilities within a structure need trouble shooting, transparent
wood can once again prove to be useful. As of now, most utilities in homes
are repaired by removing the dry wall and insulation to locate the problem.
But with transparent wood, the siding of the home and the vapor barrier can
be removed in the suspected location. Doing so not only allows visibility
of the problem while allowing the inside of the home to be habitable and
remain undisturbed from the repair.
It is important to note that mechanical properties of wood change
depending on the direction of the cut of wood. Transparent wood is no
different. A study of wood’s structural properties, conducted by Katunsky et
al. (2018), shows that transparent wood is 5 times stronger than traditional
wood when cut against the grain, as well as 6 times tougher. The same
study says that transparent wood cut along the grain is 1.06 times stronger
and 4 times tougher than traditional wood cut the same way. The exact
values are shown in Figure 3 below. This improvement in strength can better
help structures withstand the effects of extreme weather events, such as
tornadoes.
Projected Costs
Transparent wood is a new technology still in the early stages of
research and development (R&D). Scientists estimate another five years
of R&D will be necessary before it can be used in building projects.
Currently, there is not a accurate cost for transparent wood, due to how
new the material is. When transparent wood hits the market, price is
expected to be high until the manufacturing process is perfected for large-
scale production.