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L-joint based testing for service life prediction of exterior plywood in out of ground contact conditions
2006 - IRG/WP 06-20342
Good biological performance of several plywood types in exterior conditions is most probably related to altered wood moisture behaviour compared to solid wood. Therefore a test set up was developed, using EN 330 L-joint testing methodology, to facilitate differentiation of plywood for exterior applications. The proposed test set up is an adaptation of an accelerated L-joint method introduced by V...
J De Smet, I De Windt, J Van Acker


High-energy multiple impact (HEMI)-test – Part 1: A new tool for quality control of thermally modified timber
2006 - IRG/WP 06-20346
Thermal modification processes improve durability and dimensional stability of wood, but the strength properties, especially the dynamic ones, are compromised and need to be considered with respect to industrial quality control. Results from standard dynamic strength testing, such as impact bending tests, suffer from high variability, and therefore require a high number of replicates. To overcome ...
C Brischke, A O Rapp, C R Welzbacher


How to win friends and influence the market — Service Life Prediction and performance-based durability assessments of wood products in construction
2006 - IRG/WP 06-20348
Due to direct and implied demands from the market and from e.g. the EU Construction Products Directive, the need to supply service life estimates for building products is growing. For several years, a development of Service Life Prediction (SLP) methodologies has been going on, but the awareness of this development has hitherto reached only a very limited extent in the wood sector. For materials w...
F Englund


Standard Test Methods for Wood Preservatives by Laboratory Agar-Block Test
2006 - IRG/WP 06-20350
Wood is one of the most valuable and versatile resources for all sorts of constructional purposes. But timber in its various forms is subjected to several types of deterioration. This standard lays down the method for the laboratory determination of threshold value of wood preservatives against fungi. Most chemicals are initially tested for their ability to control decay fungi in agar-block tests....
P K Sarker, M A Rahman, M R Bulbul, T Das, G N M Ilias


Performance of borate-treated lumber after 8 years in an above-ground termite field test in Hawaii
2006 - IRG/WP 06-30390
We report eight years of field study results from a protected above-ground field test in Hawaii simulating the sill plate (dodai) used in conventional Japanese housing construction. Field tests were established in both Hawaii and Japan to examine the efficacy of disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT, 2% and 3% BAE shell and through) wood treatments. In Hawaii, chromated copper arsenate (CCA, 4 kg...
J K Grace, A Byrne, P I Morris, K Tsunoda


Performance of borate-treated lumber in a protected, above-ground field test in Japan
2006 - IRG/WP 06-30395
This document is supplemental to the previous IRG document (Tsunoda et al. 2004). An experiment to simulate the sill plate (dodai) of the Japanese houses was conducted at the termite field test site of the Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere of Kyoto University in Kagoshima Pref., Japan where two economically important subterranean termite species [Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and R...
K Tsunoda, A Byrne, P I Morris, J K Grace


Above and Below-Ground Depletion of Copper, Chromium and Arsenic from Pinus radiata and Fagus sylvatica at Thirteen Test Sites in New Zealand and Australia
2006 - IRG/WP 06-30402
The objective was to determine the significance of site and wood species on preservative depletion for a copper chrome arsenate preservative (CCA) from 20 x 20 x 500 mm field test stakes after 5.5 and 4.5 years for pine and beech respectively. At least 5 sacrificial stakes were used to produce site means. Site and wood species had a major effect on copper, chromium and arsenic loss from CCA treate...
R Wakeling


Copper borate for the protection of engineered wood products
2006 - IRG/WP 06-40334
Copper borate was evaluated for use in protecting oriented strand board (OSB) from mould, decay, and termites. Aspen OSB bonded with either phenolic or isocyanate resin was treated with several formulations of copper borate at various loadings from 0.26 to 4 percent by weight. These panels were then tested to determine the impact of the preservative on mechanical properties as well as resistance ...
R Smart, W Wall


Tree crown architecture: a tool for decay resistance evaluation
2013 - IRG/WP 13-10793
The variability of natural durability contributes to the bad perception of some wood end-users. In our search, we need to adjust our methods and strategies to estimate natural durability and extract higher value from wood resources. Architectural analysis is essentially a detailed, multilevel, comprehensive and dynamic approach to plant development. Numerous biological process which impact some wo...
N Amusant, J-B Anouhé Say, A Amissa, J Beauchène, F Niamké, E Nicolinni


Further discussion of biological durability assessments of acetylated wood from several European institutes
2006 - IRG/WP 06-40340
In the last decade, interest in the development of wood modification systems has increased in Europe. Alongside several industrial initiatives for heat treatments, there have also been scaling up and pilot plant projects for chemical wood modification. Between 2000-03, the European Commission funded the "Thematic Network on Wood Modification". This paper features a re-evaluation of work undertaken...
D Jones, W Homan, F Bongers


Effect of fumigation with Sulfuryl Difluoride on wood inhabiting fungi, a laboratory test
2006 - IRG/WP 06-30410
Special methods are necessary for the control of wood destroying organisms in the preservation of monuments and historic buildings because of the conservation of their originality and uniqueness. The control of wood destroying organisms can be realized with conventional liquid wood preservatives or alternative methods. One of these methods is the fumigation. One fumigant, which was in the past of...
A Pfeffer, W Unger, G Fröba, G Binker


Assessment of the Envelope Effect of Three Hot Oil Treatments: Resistance to Decay by Coniophora puteana and Postia placenta
2006 - IRG/WP 06-40344
Timber of Corsican pine (Pinus nigra var. maritima) and Norway spruce (Picea abies) was treated in hot linseed oil, rapeseed oil and a proprietary resin derived from linseed oil. The samples were immersed in oil or resin under reduced pressure at temperatures of 180°C and 200°C. Very high uptakes of the oils or resin were recorded for pine, while spruce showed lower weight percent gains, below...
M J Spear, C A S Hill, S F Curling, D Jones, M D C Hale


Furfurylated wood - An alternative to Preservative-treated wood
2006 - IRG/WP 06-40349
Chemically modified wood is currently being marketed as a non-toxic alternative to traditional preservative treated wood (wood impregnated with biocides). Over the last decade the authors have developed modernised processes for wood modified by furfurylation. These new systems do not add metals or halogens to the product, which is important for an environmentally acceptable product. This presentat...
S Lande, M H Schneider, M Westin, J Phillips


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


Resistance of DMDHEU-treated pine wood against termite and fungi attack in field testing according to EN 252. Results after 30 months
2006 - IRG/WP 06-40354
The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness against decay and termite attack of pine sapwood treated with pure and modified DMDHEU in a field test according to European Standard EN 252. Some of the treatments tested were able to increase, within the period of the test reported (30 months), the resistance of the wood both to micro-organisms and termites. The curing process seems to be ...
S Schaffert, L Nunes, A Krause, H Militz


Laboratory Leaching Tests to Study the Effects of Post-Treatment Storage Periods on CCA Leachability and Fixation in Treated Permeable and Refractory Malaysian Hardwoods
2006 - IRG/WP 06-50240
The biological resistance and environmental safety of CCA-treated wood relies on the extent of post-treatment storage fixation of CCA in wood prior to being utilized. A study on the comparative leachability (fixation) of CCA-treated refractory and permeable heartwoods of 3 Malaysian hardwoods subjected to different post-treatment storage (fixation) periods of up to 4 weeks, at 2 laboratory leachin...
A H H Wong, H C Lai, N P T Lim


Biological Protection of Composite Panel from Moulds and Decay
2007 - IRG/WP 07-10612
Composite panels, such as oriented strand board (OSB), are widely used in house construction in North America. These structural panels are normally made of non-durable wood species and are susceptible to moulds and decay when exposed to wet conditions. Building envelope failures due to moulds, decay or poor construction practices can negatively impact the image of wood. To ensure durability of com...
Dian-Qing Yang, Xiang-Ming Wang, Hui Wan


Phenol oxidase activity and one-electron oxidation activity in wood degradation by soft-rot deuteromycetes
2007 - IRG/WP 07-10615
Wood degradation, one-electron oxidation activity as assayed by ethylene generation from 2-keto-4-thiomethylbutyric acid (KTBA), and phenol oxidase activity were measured in cultures of six deuteromyce fungi, with glucose or wood as the carbon source. The four fungi that degraded Japanese beech wood had higher one-electron oxidation activities in wood-containing cultures than in glucose-containing...
H Tanaka, M Yamakawa, S Itakura, A Enoki


Accelerated assessment tests of new termiticides
2007 - IRG/WP 07-20353
One of the biological agents, which cause major damage to wood in Spain, is the subterranean termites. The systems used for controlling termites don’t eradicate them, and the products presently used to treat wood against them, due to their toxicity and their persistence in the environment, could be prohibited in the near future in Europe as consequence of the 98/8/EC Directive (usually called t...
M T Troya, M J Prieto, D Lorenzo, F Rubio


Current state of world standardization in the toxicometric methods for testing of wood preservatives
2007 - IRG/WP 07-20354
The paper presents an outline of the history of forming standardized toxicometric methods for testing of wood preservatives in the world during last 100 years. Numerous studies resulted in three main methods which are currently used for official and basis assessment of biocides: - agar-block method in Europe (EN 113); - soil-block method in the USA and Pacific countries (ASTM D 1413); - modifi...
J Wazny


A New Decay Hazard Map for North America Using the Scheffer Index
2008 - IRG/WP 08-10672
Wood decay experts in the USA and Canada use the Scheffer Index for above-ground wood decay potential to decide among design and treatment options to ensure the durability of wood construction. This paper provides an updated North American decay hazard map and includes data on Central America. Index values calculated from recent climate data are higher than published values due to directional or c...
P I Morris, J Wang


Wood decay fungi from New Zealand ‘leaky’ buildings: PCR identification and laboratory decay tests of wood preservative-treated Pinus radiata (Part 1)
2007 - IRG/WP 07-10620
Fungi colonising Pinus radiata D. Don framing timber of ‘leaky’ New Zealand buildings were isolated to produce pure cultures. Mycelia from these cultures on agar media were collected to extract DNA. To identify the fungi to the species level, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with primer pairs ITS1-F and ITS4 were performed followed by sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. ...
D Stahlhut, R L Farrell, R Wakeling, M Hedley


Detecting fungal DNA in treated and non-treated wood
2007 - IRG/WP 07-10621
Isolating fungi from wood has long involved culturing on selective media followed by identification using various keys. This process can be cumbersome, costly, and, most importantly, not always capable of detecting all of the fungi present. The recent development of molecular methods for isolation and identification of fungi has created tremendous opportunities for expanding our knowledge of the...
C Freitag, M Freitag, J Morrell


The use of X-ray diffraction for analyzing biomodification of crystalline cellulose by wood decay fungi
2007 - IRG/WP 07-10622
X-ray diffraction (XRD) is based on the creation of an interference pattern by x-rays when they encounter a regularly spaced matrix. In wood, this process has been used to determine, among other things, the average width of the cellulose microcrystals, the percent of crystalline cellulose within the wood, and can be used to examine the changes in these parameters during degradation. Enhanced under...
C Howell, A C Steenkjær Hastrup, J Jellison


Decay Hazard Classifications in China for Exterior Above-Ground Wood
2007 - IRG/WP 07-20357
A decay hazard map for exterior above-ground wood structures is presented based on Scheffer’s Climate Index, with the major purpose of promoting awareness for proper protection of wood structures in different locations in China. A very large area in the South, including southern Yunnan, most of Sichuan Province and Chongqing, and part of Hunan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang, as well as all...
J Wang, X Wu, M Jiang, P I Morris


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