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Wood-Plastic Composites and the Durability Dilemma: Observations from the Field
2006 - IRG/WP 06-40351
Wood-Plastic Composites (WPCs) used for decking, window & door moldings have experienced dramatic growth in North America over the last several years, with annual production increasing at rates greater than 20% per annum since 1998. A key factor contributing to this growth has been the successfully communicated message that they are "virtually maintenance free". The common perception being t...
M J Manning, F M Ascherl, M E Mankowski


Wood plastic composites from modified wood. Part 2 - Durability in laboratory decay tests
2006 - IRG/WP 06-40353
The decay resistance of wood plastic composites, WPCs, was tested according to modified versions of AWPA E10 (soil-block test) and ENV 807 (tests in three un-sterile soils, terrestrial microcosms, TMCs). The WPC materials were conically extruded profiles with 30% polypropylene content. The 70% wood content was untreated Scots pine sapwood, acetylated pine and heat treated Norway spruce, respective...
M Westin, P Larsson Brelid, M L Edlund, G Alfredsen


Some textile auxiliaries as wood protective agents
2007 - IRG/WP 07-30417
This study evaluated some textile auxiliaries applicable for wood protection. Commercial alkoxysilane quarternary ammonium formulation and fluorocarbon based water-oil repellent were tested for their ability to provide hydrophobicity and antifungal effect to solid wood samples. Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) sapwood samples were impregnated with 25, 50 and 100 % concentrations of the above menti...
E Dizman, A Temiz, N Terziev, Ü C Yildiz


Detection of Anti-Fungal Sapwood Extractives in Non-Durable Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris), Rubberwood (Hevea brasiliensis) and Jelutong (Dyera costulata)
2007 - IRG/WP 07-10634
A general laboratory bioassay method of Woodward and Pearce (1985) was adopted to detect anti-fungal activity of sapwood or heartwood extractives of 5 Malaysian hardwoods [dark red meranti heartwood (Shorea spp.), red balau heartwood (Shorea spp.), kulim heartwood (Scorodocarpus borneensis), jelutong sapwood (Dyera costulata) and rubberwood sapwood (Hevea brasiliensis), including the temperate Pin...
A H H Wong, R B Pearce


Field Liners as physical barriers to prevent wooden utility pole decay in soil: An accelerated field simulation trial
2008 - IRG/WP 08-20384
Field Liners (FL’s), plastic sleeves used to protect in-ground wooden poles from fungal and termite damage, have been tested before as physical barriers to prevent contact between soil and wood and to retain wood preservative treatment. These earlier studies concentrated mostly on creosote preserved poles and early generation FL’s which were cumbersome in their application. The newer generatio...
A R Howgrave-Graham, L J Cookson, T Hale


Wood plastic composites from modified wood. Part 3. Durability of WPCs with bioderived matrix
2008 - IRG/WP 08-40423
The decay resistance of fully bio-derived wood plastic composites, WPCs, was tested in both laboratory and field tests. The laboratory tests were performed according to modified versions of AWPA E10 (soil-block test) and ENV 807 (tests in three un-sterile soils) and the field tests according to EN 252 (stakes in ground) and EN 275 (resistance to marine borers). The WPC materials for laboratory tes...
M Westin, P Larsson Brelid, B K Segerholm, M Van den Oever


Discovering anti-fungal agents in New Zealand native plants for use in wood protection
2009 - IRG/WP 09-10692
Extracts from Hinau (Elaeocarpus dentatus) leaves were tested in the laboratory for antifungal activity. In addition, the anatomical structure of the leaf was also examined by a combination of light and scanning electron microscopy. Chemical characterisation of the extracts and investigation into potential use of its components for wood protection is underway. A combination of light microscopy (...
C Rickard, T Singh, A Singh, R Newman


Vacuum drying of European oakwood: Color, chemistry and anti-oxidant potency of wood. Improving appearance in forest value added products
2008 - IRG/WP 08-40432
In hardwoods used for decorative and appearance purposes, wood colour is one of the most important factors of wood quality; in addition colour is related with durability and biological decay of wood. Wood discolouration during drying is mainly affected by heat, light, physiological reactions, combinations of reactions, biochemical and chemical reactions, and micro-organisms attack. In freshly fell...
S Sandoval, W Jomaa, F Marc, J-R Puiggali


Evaluation of Water Repellency of Treated Wood Using Several Alternative Methods
2009 - IRG/WP 09-20419
In this study, the results of water repellency testing using a digital swellometer method for water-borne organic-preservative systems with water repellent additives are reported. The findings suggest that the traditional method of using matched untreated controls as a reference developed from historic solvent-based treatments for determination anti-swelling efficacy (ASE) may underestimate the a...
L Jin, A F Preston


Synthesis of a rosin amide and its resistance to wood decay fungi
2009 - IRG/WP 09-30517
Rosin was reacted with diethyltriamine (DETA) after being modified by acryl acid with the weight ratio of 4.5:1 and a rosin amide (RA) derivative was produced at the conditions as follows: modified rosin and DETA mole ratio of 1:3.5, dimethylbenzene as water carrying agent, reaction temperature of 160-180°C, and reaction time of 8h. The chemical structure of the product as RA was identified by F...
Shuangyue Li, Shujun Li, Jing Wang


Termite Resistant Properties of Wood and Natural Fiber Plastic Composites - AWPA E1 Test Data
2009 - IRG/WP 09-40466
This paper deals with resistance properties of wood plastic composites against Formosan Subterranean Termites (FSTs) based on the AWPA E1 test standard. Sixteen laboratory WPC formulations, four WPC commercial materials, and southern pine (Pinus sp.) wood control were tested for termite mortality, sample weight loss, and sample damage rating. The results show that FSTs did attack WPC products in ...
Q Wu, T Shupe, J Curole, K Ragon, M Voitier, M Freeman, D Ring


Progress in Fire-Retardant Research on Wood and Wood-Based Composites: a China Perspective
2009 - IRG/WP 09-40476
The fire retardant research on wood and wood-based composites, which was carried out in China in the past two decades, was reviewed with 55 references. While many kinds of fire retardants for wood and wood-based composites have been studied, the mainstream is still the compound or the mixture containing phosphorus, nitrogen and boron elements, which can be used in the form of water solution in th...
Wang Qingwen, Wang Fengqiang, Hu Yunchu, Li Jian


Extruded wood plastic composites based on ACQ and MCQ-treated wood materials
2010 - IRG/WP 10-40495
This paper deals with wood plastic composites manufactured using ACQ and MCQ-treated wood fibers recovered from a wood treatment plant. The goal was to investigate the effect of coupling treatments on the properties of manufactured wood plastic composites (WPCs) through injection molding and to manufacture co-extruded WPC with treated wood fibers. The result demonstrated sound mechanical propertie...
Qinglin Wu, Fei Yao, K Ragon, J Curole, M Voitier, T Shupe


The utilization of sand dusts of MDF panel as filler in wood plastic composites
2010 - IRG/WP 10-40500
Waste management is getting important in the world. Most of wood based panel industries are interested in utilization of wood residues such as saw dust, sand dust and wood flour in other applications. The objective of this study is to investigate the usability of sand dust of MDF in wood plastic composites. HDPE and PP based composites with 30 % sand dusts loading were compounded in the single sc...
A D Cavdar, H Kalaycioglu, F Mengeloglu, K Karakus, H Yel


Moisture dynamics of WPC as basis for biological durability
2010 - IRG/WP 10-40520
The largest market for wood-polymer composites (WPCs) is currently decking. Although many products are commercially available, a proper standard for the assessment of the biological durability of WPC does not exist. Recommended standards for testing resistance against basidiomycetes should be completed with a method to bring the specimens in a worst case situation, obtaining a moisture level high ...
N Defoirdt, J Van Acker, J Van den Bulcke


Lignin blocking effects on weathering process of wood plastic composites
2010 - IRG/WP 10-40529
The weathering of wood–plastic composites (WPC) causes discoloration which affects their aesthetic aspects. It has been proved that these discolorations are due to lignin degradation. Effects of blocking the susceptible structure of lignin assessed by chemical treatment such as acetylation and methylation are reported in this study. Surface chemical change of wood plastic composite (WPC) formula...
P Darabi, A Naghi karimi, S Ahmade Mirshokraie, M-F Thévenon


Novel Approaches to the Development and Testing of Anti After-glow Additives for CCA-based Treatments of Poles
2011 - IRG/WP 11-30561
In this paper, a field fire stake testing screen method is described. This method uses stake samples from matched wood sources allowing replicates from different boards to be included. The method is easy to control and can provide quick comparative fire resistance test results. The parameters measured from the tests are percentage weight loss, minimum residual circumference and residual thicknes...
L Jin, P Walcheski, A Preston


A Critical Review and Survey of the US Wooden Pallet Industry: Focusing on Market Segmentation & N. American Trends
2011 - IRG/WP 11-40545
This paper reviews the history and current and predicted future use values in N. America. Included in this work is historical data on rationality and wood species used to manufacture wooden pallets in the USA and an ongoing current market survey sent to the 1000 largest manufacturers and re-manufacturers in the USA based on SIC Code 2448(Standard Industrial Code Classification). Although CHEP, the...
M H Freeman


Decay resistance of a commercial pistachio twig-plastic composite
2011 - IRG/WP 11-40553
In this research, the decay resistance of commercial extruded pistachio twig flour-plastic composite was investigated against the white-rot fungi Trametes versicolor and the brown-rot fungus Coniophora puteana. The composite specimens containing 60% pistachio twig flour were exposed to a decay test according to modified ASTM standard for 3 months. The results showed that the composite could be d...
M R M Farahani, M Safarzadeh


Biological performance of wood- and bamboo-polypropylene composites: Effects of particle content, particle size and Zn borate
2012 - IRG/WP 12-40577
Particle content and size of wood material in wood plastic composites (WPCs) can affect efficacy of WPCs against fungi and termites. This study evaluated fungal and termite resistance of WPCs manufactured by using two different levels of particle content (50 and 70%) and three different particle sizes (30, 60, and 100 mesh). In fungal resistance tests, Tyromyces palustris, a standardized test fung...
S N Kartal, S Aysal, E Terzi, T Yoshimura, K Tsunoda


Relationships between heat treatment intensity and some conferred properties of different European softwood and hardwood species
2012 - IRG/WP 12-40593
Effect of treatment intensity on conferred properties like elemental composition, durability, anti swelling efficiency (ASE) and equilibrium moisture content (EMC) of different European softwood and hardwood species subjected to mild pyrolysis at 230°C under nitrogen for different durations has been investigated. Independently of the wood species studied, elemental composition is strongly correl...
M Chaouch, S Dumarçay, A Pétrissans, M Pétrissans, P Gérardin


Effects of nano-wollastonite impregnation on fire resistance and dimensional stability of Poplar wood
2012 - IRG/WP 12-40595
The fire-retardant properties of Nano-Wollastonite (NW) in poplar wood (Populus nigra) were determined in this study. Some physical properties such as water absorption, volumetric swelling and Anti-Swelling Efficiency (ASE) were also measured. Specimens were prepared according to the ISO 11925 standard for the fire-retarding properties, and ASTM D4446-2002 standard for the physical properties. Imp...
A Karimi, A Haghighi Poshtir, H Reza Taghiyari, Y Hamzeh, A Akbar Enayati


Moisture and Fungal Durability of Wood-Plastic Composites Made With Chemically Modified and Treated Wood Flour
2013 - IRG/WP 13-40648
Evaluating the fungal durability of wood-plastic composites (WPCs) is complicated by the influence of slow moisture sorption. Recently, the American Wood Protection Association (AWPA) Standard Method E10, Testing Wood Preservatives by Laboratory Soil-Block Cultures, was modified to incorporate not only solid wood, but also wood-based composites and WPCs. To simulate long term WPC performance, cond...
B K Segerholm, R E Ibach


Conclusions and Summary Report on an Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of ACQ-Treated Lumber Decking with Comparisons to Wood Plastic Composite Decking
2013 - IRG/WP 13-50295
The Treated Wood Council has completed a quantitative evaluation of the environmental impacts associated with the national production, use, and disposition of ACQ (alkaline copper quaternary)-treated lumber decking and wood plastic composite decking using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies and following ISO 14044 standards. The results for treated wood decking are significant. • Less En...
AquAeTer, Inc.


Field performance of wood-based decking materials in the Western United States
2014 - IRG/WP 14-30645
While wood has long been used for the construction of decks and other outdoor features, a variety of wood-plastic composite (WPC) decking products have emerged over the past decade with claims of exceptional durability and low maintenance. There are relatively few long term comparative tests on these products. The performance of selected WPC decking products was compared with naturally durable we...
S Lipeh, C S Love, J J Morrell


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