Transparent wood as construction material

The aim of this study is to obtain a building material that can be used in the field of civil engineering by making wood, which is a very old building material, transparent. Transparent wood is a new field of work in our country. Especially in Civil Engineering, its use as a building material is very low. The wood, which is bleached by removing lignin, one of the important components in the cell wall structure of natural wood, is transformed into a new material by filling the voids formed with polymer type. Transparent wood, an innovative building material; It exhibits features such as environmental friendliness, light weight, and optical permeability unlike natural wood. The optical properties of the polymer filled into the voids allow light to pass through the wood without refraction. Studies are also continuing to use bio-based polymers instead of the generally used petroleum-based polymers.In the study, samples obtained by cutting in different directions from poplar and beech wood were used. As a result of seven trial studies, transparency was achieved in two of them. The best results were obtained from wood samples obtained from poplar wood by cutting in the longitudinal direction at the size of 10×10×1 mm and cutting from a cross-section of 20×20×1 mm. In lignin delignification, which is the first step of obtaining transparent wood, the samples are boiled for 1 hour in the solution obtained from 36 grams of H2O and 144 grams of NaClO2 (sodium chloride) in the first sample, and in the second sample, the samples are mixed in a solution of 3.5% by weight NaClO2 (sodium chloride) for 40 minutes. In the bleaching process, 6% hydrogen peroxide solution was used in both. In the last stage of polymer infiltration, vacuuming was carried out with glycerine for 3 cycles of 15 minutes each. Considering the use of glycerin, which is used as a polymer, from food to personal care products, it is the most harmless polymer ever used. In order to increase its strength. Transparent epoxy resin obtained with a 1:2 mixture of hardener (1) and epoxy (2) was coated and waited until it hardened.Transparent wood can have usage areas such as covering for solar panels, providing light in buildings, indoor floor and wall decoration. The use of wood with different properties by making it transparent shows that it will be remarkable in terms of Civil Engineering. Within the scope of this study, different types of wooden materials will be procured and made transparent. Studies in this direction are expected to contribute to the literature. Keywords: Wood, Transparency, Optical transmittance