Get Ready for Skyscrapers Made of Wood. (Yes, Wood)
I think the big concern would be how flammable the dense wood is. If it is still very flammable, then a lot of uses where it could replace metals would be scratched off the list. It would be very useful for hurricane proofing homes, I would guess though.
Steel is flammable, given enough surface area. Try burning steel wool. Better yet, “hot hands” are made out of iron.
“if it is still very flammable, then a lot of uses where it could replace metals would be scratched off the list.”
Wood is one of the best fire-blocks in the building industry, but of course it will burn eventually. But steel will soften and then melt, particularly if a bunch of Leftists don’t let you insulate it with asbestos, as we saw in on 9-11. So it’s all in the relative characteristics - that fact that it will eventually burn may be outweighed by how long it takes to weaken.
But for smaller structures this has the potential to revolutionize the business, maybe to the point where women will be able to handle stick material and sheathing (instead of complaining about being excluded from the trade). But the first use I can see is where something like 2x6 of this would be as strong as a manufactured beam measuring 4 x 16, or something like that - that’s what phases it in, then it can work down to the more common uses of wood (walls and decking).
“If it is still very flammable, “
I could be barking up the wrong tree here, but as a wood burner I know the harder the wood (denser) the greater the heat value. I’m suspecting this densified wood would burn hotter and longer than the same material before being processed.
Now I’m certain the scientists (I’m suspecting Hu is a real scientist) have or are figuring out how to make this new product as fire resistant as gypsum, metal or concrete.
As a fire resistant structure, wood is superior to steel. I know that sounds crazy and backwards. But it is true. Here is why. Wood maintains its structural integrity through the burn process. It only loses that integrity (strength) at a rate at which the fire consumes it's mass. Steel on the other hand loses it's strength as it heats. And because it is such a good conductor of heat, it's entire mass heats relatively uniformally compared to wood. This is why, in commercial buildings, steel structure often has to be coated in "fire proofing". The fire proofing is actually insulation to protect the steel from the heat of a fire.