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Curing kinetics of nano cupric oxide (CuO) modified PF resin as wood adhesive: Effect of surfactant
2013 - IRG/WP 13-40620
The effect of nano cupric oxide (CuO) in combination with surfactants on the curing kinetics of phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin, as well as the bonding strength of plywood prepared using the modified resin were investigated in this study using dynamic and isothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The result showed that the incorporation of nano CuO along with alkane surfactant made in the...
Wei Gao, Guanben Du


Natural durability of plantation-grown coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) in New Zealand
2014 - IRG/WP 14-10817
There is wide variation in the wood properties of plantation-grown coast redwood in New Zealand. Contributing factors are the seed source, silviculture, growth and age of the trees in the plantation forests. Little is known about how these factors affect the variation of wood properties among and within the trees of New Zealand’s coast redwood forests. Heartwood of plantation-grown coast redwood...
D O’Callahan, T Jones, C Low, C Chittenden


Bamboo: A poor man’s timber
2015 - IRG/WP 15-10852
Bamboo, known as poor man’s timber in the past gained some importance in the last decade when TIFAC under Department of Science & Technology and Ministry of Agriculture awoke to find a better future for this unique gift of nature. Until then it was considered a good for nothing grass suitable only for making paper and building effigies of Ravan, Kumbhkaran and Meghnath year after year at Dussehr...
S Kumar


Penetration of phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin into beech wood studied by light microscopy
2015 - IRG/WP 15-20558
In this study, we examined the distribution and penetration depth of phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin into wood specimens by light microscopy (LM). Two PF resins from different producers, of concentrations 9, 18 and 27 wt % in water, were vacuum impregnated into European beech wood (Fagus sylvatica) blocks of 15x25x50 mm³. The presence of chemical agent in the wood was carried out by way of their i...
V Biziks, S Bicke, H Militz


Non-destructive monitoring of structure and moisture dynamics of plywood exposed outdoors to improve service life prediction and fit-for-purpose design
2015 - IRG/WP 15-20570
Plywood is an important construction material yet prone to water uptake, which can decrease strength and increase decay risk. To predict service life and improve fit-for-purpose design, it is crucial to understand the moisture behavior and structural changes of plywood. In this research, several plywood specimens were exposed outdoors for approximately one year. During this period, the moisture di...
W Li, J Van den Bulcke, I De Windt, M Dierick, J Van Acker


Mould growth on spruce claddings and the effect of selected influencing factors after 4 years of outdoor testing
2015 - IRG/WP 15-30671
Norway spruce (Picea abies) is the most frequently chosen wood species as claddings in façades in Norway, and is used both coated and uncoated. The visual changes that occur during weathering can be colour changes, abrasion or wear, blistering, flaking, and even cracks in the wood or coating, but more often growth of mould and blue stain fungi is the main challenge. A field test with synchronous monitoring of relative humidity, air temperature, material temperature and wood moisture content in Norway spruce claddings has been performed in southern Norway as part of the ClimateLife project. Visual evaluation of blue stain and mould growth according to EN 927-3 was performed, and evaluation data after 46 months exposure is presented. The objectives were to study the effect of 1) environment, 2) cardinal direction and 3) colour of the coated surface on growth of blue stain and mould fungi and to study the variation in relative humidity, air temperature, wood moisture content and material temperature. After 46 months exposure, the red coating system had generally the lowest mould ratings and the uncoated claddings had the highest. Of the white coloured claddings the ones facing south had lower mould ratings than those facing north, but the opposite were found for red coloured claddings. The relative humidity was higher in front of claddings exposed northwards and in a shaded environment compared to an open environment against south. In an open environment red coloured claddings had the lowest wood moisture content and highest material temperature, and red coloured claddings against south had the highest maximum material temperature.
L Ross Gobakken, G I Vestøl


Development of a new characterization method to analyse Cypermethrin penetration in wood material by immunolabelling
2015 - IRG/WP 15-30674
The preservative efficacy of organic biocides is strongly related to their capacity of penetration and retention within wood tissues. The specific detection of the pyrethroid insecticide cypermethrin is currently obtained after extraction followed by chemical analysis by chromatography techniques. However visualizing the insecticide molecule within the wood structure requires specific probes toget...
S Tapin-Lingua, K Ruel, J-P Joseleau, D Messaoudi, O Fahy, M Jequel, M Petit-Conil


Susceptibility of wood substrates to Aurebasidium pullulans at different temperatures
2016 - IRG/WP 16-10863
There is an increasing awareness of how the aesthetical performance of wood exposed outdoors changes over time and especially in the first few years after installation. Mould and blue stain fungi are biological agents that contribute to the weather grey colour on a wooden façade, and the blue stain fungi Aureobasidium pullulans is commonly identified as colonizer on coated and uncoated wood expos...
L Ross Gobakken, G Alfredsen


Measurement of Cell Wall Moisture in Acetylated Radiata Pine Using Low-Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
2016 - IRG/WP 16-20583
Understanding the interaction of water with acetylated wood is necessary to explain how the protective mechanism of acetylation functions. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance is one technique for assessing water in wood. Pinus radiata earlywood sapwood samples were acetylated to various weight percentage gains and then analysed with this method. Increased levels of acetylation showed significantl...
H G Beck, C A S Hill


Fabrication and characterization of MicroPCMs filled wood-plastic composites: Effects of polyethylene glycol on melamine–formaldehyde shell material
2016 - IRG/WP 16-40728
Microencapsulated phase change materials (MicroPCMs) containing dodecanol were fabricated using melamine-formaldehyde (MF) or polyethylene glycol 200 modified melamine-formaldehyde (PMF) resin as the shell materials by in situ polymerization. Wood flour/high-density polyethylene (WF/HDPE) composites with MF shell MicroPCMs (MF-MicroPCMs) or PMF shell MicroPCMs (PMF-MicroPCMs) were prepared, respec...
Xi Guo, Jinzhen Cao


The influence of log soaking temperature and thermal modification on the properties of birch veneers
2016 - IRG/WP 16-40749
In veneer manufacture the logs are routinely soaked in heated water baths in order to soften the wood prior to peeling. The temperature of the water may vary greatly between batches; however, the influence of log soaking temperature on veneer properties has had little research attention. Uncontrolled moisture is known to cause problems in wood-based materials, while thermal modification offers a m...
S Källbom, K Laine, M S Moghaddam, A Rohumaa, K Segerholm, M Wålinder


Effects of climatic factors and material properties on mould growth on untreated wooden claddings
2017 - IRG/WP 17-10884
Mould growth is an important contributor to colour change of untreated wood exposed outdoors. Predicting the development of mould growth is therefore important to ensure successful use of untreated wood as a façade material. More knowledge about the factors affecting mould growth on outdoor exposed wood is required to give better predictions. In this study, climatic factors and material propertie...
S Karlsen Lie, G I Vestøl, O Høibø, L Ross Gobakken


The Protective Effect of Different Tree Bark Extractives against Decay Fungi
2017 - IRG/WP 17-30707
There are various modification methods which increase the resistance of wooden materials. Due to recent environmental regulations, there is a need for new and environmentally-friendly wood preservatives. In this study, six different tree bark extractives were evaluated for their wood resistance against fungal degradation. For this purpose, the white rot fungi (Tramates versicolour) and brown rot f...
Ö Özgenç, S Durmaz


Influence of hygro-thermal treatment temperature and duration on dimensional stabilisation of wood modified with poly(butylene succinate)
2017 - IRG/WP 17-40813
To improve wood properties, especially dimensional stability, a treatment based on poly(butylene succinate) oligomers (OBS) was experimented. After impregnation in wood, a further hygro-thermal treatment (HTT) was carried out in a pressurized reactor at 100% relative humidity (RH) at differing temperatures for differing durations. The aim of HTT is to induce partial swelling of wood cell walls so ...
C Grosse, M Noël, L Rautkari, P Gérardin


Impact of temperature and relative humidity on spatio-temporal fungal growth dynamics of Basidiomycetes
2018 - IRG/WP 18-10905
Basidiomycetes can cause considerable damage to wood and other bio-based building materials. Knowing at which environmental conditions these decay fungi generally thrive, and how the environmental conditions affect fungal growth characteristics, is therefore of particular interest. In this paper, we use image analysis to assess the impact of the environmental conditions on the growth dynamics of C...
L De Ligne, G Vidal-Diez de Ulzurrun, J Van den Bulcke, J M Baetens, B De Baets, J Van Acker


Recent findings clarifying the mechanism of brown-rot decay protection in acetylated wood
2018 - IRG/WP 18-40827
This paper summarizes the findings obtained during my PhD research over the past three years. The results provide insights which help to understand the enhanced brown-rot decay resistance of acetylated wood with particular emphasis on the role of water. The protection acetylation provides is derived from moisture exclusion within the acetylated cell wall, but the exact mechanism by which water is ...
G Beck


Monitoring of the building made of CLT in Ljubljana
2019 - IRG/WP 19-40860
Wood is one of the most important construction materials and its use in building applications has further expanded in recent decades, predominately due to development of the modern composites, like cross-laminated timber. In order to enable even more extensive and reliable use of wood in outdoor applications, factors affecting wood’s service life need to be understood. It is well known that fung...
M Humar, D Krzisnik, B Lesar, N Thaler, B Dujic


Promoting Commercially Available Epoxy Resins for Non-biocidal Wood Preservation
2019 - IRG/WP 19-40877
Commercially available epoxy and polyamine resins were evaluated with the aim of developing new non-biocidal wood preservation treatments. A simple method allowing the impregnation of wood by vacuum double impregnation followed by a curing process was developed for two reference species, beech Fagus sylvatica and Scots pine Pinus sylvestris. The tested products were evaluated for their ability to ...
P Poveda, M Mubarok, S Dumarcay, M Montibus, I Le Bayon, M Kutnik, P Gerardin, F Simon


Alternative products enhancing dimensional stability comparing to conventional treated products in Japan
2019 - IRG/WP 19-40885
The Act on the Promotion of the Utilization of Wood in Public Buildings (2010) in Japan has made a new stream of the utilization field of timber from housing constructions to larger scale non-housing constructions. After the act, the performance of dimensional stability in preservative treated products becomes more important factor than before. Therefore, various technologies have been developed, ...
K Yamamoto, D Tezuka, Y Sugai, S Maeda, I Momohara


Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) – a potential tool for improved utilisation of the natural durability of Scots pine for solid wood products
2019 - IRG/WP 19-50358
The natural durability of sapwood of most species is generally low, while heartwood can be more resistant to biodeterioration. For the sawmill industry various lumber products require certain diameters and lengths of the logs in addition to requirements for wood properties. When utilising the heartwood, it is therefore important to acquire information already in the forest about which trees that c...
P-O Flaete


Moisture and temperature conditions in an old, highly moisture-loaded timber building in the Røros municipality, Norway
2020 - IRG/WP 20-10966
A 150 years old log building near Røros, Norway, has been in active use as a cowshed since its erection. The animals are kept inside the cowshed all winter and this causes a situation of a high moisture load on the wooden floor, wooden walls and ceiling. Logging of temperature and humidity over one year shows that there are favourable levels of moisture in the wood and air for development of moul...
M Sand Austigard, J Mattsson


Water interactions in wood polyesterified with sorbitol and citric acid
2020 - IRG/WP 20-40888
Polyesterifcation of wood with sorbitol and citric acid seems to be a promising chemical wood modification technique that is both low-cost and produced from bio-based chemicals. An interesting aspect of the modification is the interaction of water with the polyesterified wood since the relationship with moisture appears to be unique compared to other wood modification systems. This communication p...
G Beck, A Treu, E Larnøy


Enhancing the durability of low durability Eucalyptus plantation species: a review of strategies
2020 - IRG/WP 20-40910
Eucalyptus species native to Australia have shown excellent growth rates, good physical properties and resistance to diseases. As a result, they are widely planted globally for a variety of uses. One negative aspect of many of these faster growing species is that they have a high percentage of low durability heartwood that resists preservative treatment. In Australia, large plantations of these sp...
K C Wood, J J Morrell, W Leggate


Impregnation of wood with antifungal compounds from low-quality tree biomass
2022 - IRG/WP 22-30763
In this paper we have reviewed recent research on the development of bio-based preservative formulations for wood done at the Department of wood science and technology, Ljubljana. Preservative formulations used in this investigation were prepared using plant polyphenols as biocidal agents. These nonstructural components of wood were stilbenes and flavonoids, and were extracted from wood of broken ...
V Vek, I Poljanšek, A Balzano, M Humar, P Oven


Premature adhesion failure of exterior wood coatings – The influence of substrate temperature at coating application and moisture accumulation during storage
2022 - IRG/WP 22-40937
The present study aimed at extending the knowledge about premature coating failures of industrially finished wood cladding. Two potential factors were studied: the influence of substrate temperature at coating application and moisture accumulation during storage on the adhesion of waterborne coating systems. In the first experiment, 4 batches of wood specimens were submitted to 4 different tempera...
U Hundhausen


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