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Natural durability and moisture dynamics of commercially important European wood species after weathering
2022 - IRG/WP 22-10992
Wood is a frequently used material. Timbers’ mechanical properties, particularly its favourable strength-to-mass ratio, make them suitable for many uses. Current environmental awareness has led to its renewed importance as a building material. However, wood is susceptible to decay that severely affect its outdoor performance. This study investigated how weathering affects the natural durability ...
E Keržič, M Humar


Performance of wood exterior structures above ground in Spain. Performance and durability of a shelter of spruce in a shopping centre after 20 years
2022 - IRG/WP 22-20680
Across Europe is very common to find wood exterior structures mainly build in sawn and glue-laminated wood. Most of these exterior wood structures use softwood wood species such as: fir, spruce, pine or douglas. In Spain exterior wood structures, became more and more popular since nineties, when sawn and glue-laminated wood were utilized for building exterior wood structures in overall Spain. In m...
D Lorenzo, A Lozano, M Alonso, J Fernández-Golfín, M Touza, J Benito


Service trial of different materials exposed in jetties at Öresund. Progress report No. 5
2022 - IRG/WP 22-30764
This report contains results of the fifth inspection on the performance of different decking materials – preservative-treated wood, modified wood, natural durable wood, re-cycled plastics and wood-plastic composites (WPCs) - available on the market and exposed since 2013 (some since 2014 and 2016) by the City of Malmö in two jetties near the Øresund Bridge, south of central Malmö in Sweden. T...
J Jermer


Properties of Iron (II) Sulphate treated Norway Spruce
2022 - IRG/WP 22-30765
Exterior wood is exposed to various environmental factors that cause weathering. Weathering is important primarily from an aesthetic standpoint. However, not all parts of the building are equally susceptible to weathering. Parts exposed to moisture will discolour faster than protected parts, such as wood under roof overhangs. To achieve fast and uniform artificial greying, a surface treatment with...
B Lesar, M Humar, M Škamlec


Effect of furfurylation treatment on the performance of three Canadian wood species
2022 - IRG/WP 22-40925
The demand for exterior wood siding is stagnating in North America, partly due to the perception of consumers, architects and contractors regarding their durability and maintenance. Improving attributes such as the dimensional stability of wood is therefore necessary to make it more attractive to consumers. This project aims to assess the performance of Canadian species; white spruce (Picea glauca...
G Boivin, D Schorr


A novel wood preservation technology improving durability and water-related properties
2022 - IRG/WP 22-40926
A newly developed silicone oil (Archroma Management GmbH, Switzerland) was tested for wood modification purposes. Scots pine sapwood was treated with aqueous solutions of this silicone oil and showed a penetration of the modification agent into the wood cell wall. Both, biological durability and moisture-related properties, experienced significant improvements by the modification. Besides, the mod...
L Emmerich, H Militz, M Vila


Effect of densification of Eucalyptus nitens and E. obliqua on moisture uptake, swelling, decay resistance, and fire performance
2022 - IRG/WP 22-40946
Some Australian Eucalyptus species that are abundantly available have low natural durability and poor resistance to fire. These same species are also extremely difficult to treat with preservatives or fire retardants using conventional pressure treatment methods due to a large proportion of refractory heartwood. The aim of this research was to understand whether thermo-mechanical densification had...
B Hassan, J J Morrell, F Wiesner, W Wu, B Belleville, K C Wood


Influence of weathering on the mechanical properties and performance of exterior wood coatings
2022 - IRG/WP 22-40951
Three commercial coatings were exposed to artificial (EN 927-6) and natural weathering (EN 927-3) on wood samples. Cracking was visually assessed as well as Persoz hardness. Free films of the same coatings were also exposed to the same weathering tests before their tensile properties were measured. Results show that artificial and natural weathering modified the overall mechanical properties of wo...
L Podgorski, J-D Lanvin


Unlocking the potential of tropical fast-growing hardwood species
2023 - IRG/WP 23-11010
Social forestry or community managed forestry practices have been promoted as an inclusive way to mitigate climate change through the framework of the UNFCCC scheme of the Reduce Emission Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) programme. Fast growing wood species are one of the least tapped social forestry commodities in Southeast Asia, and they have the potential to be upscaled to meet the ...
S Fauziyyah, R Wimmer, C Brischke


Assessment of the Material Durability and Structural Integrity of the Wooden Velodrome in Češča vas, Slovenia
2023 - IRG/WP 23-11012
Wood is a widely used material in the construction industry, and it has been utilized for thousands of years to create buildings and other structures. When wooden structures are designed, built, and maintained properly, they can be safe and long-lasting. Sports facilities, which provide athletes with a space to train, compete, and improve their abilities, are crucial in creating a strong and susta...
D Kržišnik, M Humar, B Lesar


Long-term Performance of Treated Timbers in a Sub-tropical Marine Exposure
2023 - IRG/WP 23-11015
The long-term performance of preservative-treated and modified wood in marine exposures was assessed in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. This report describes the final destructive assessment of the surviving Australian panels after 11 years of exposure. This site presents the potential for attack by shipworms (likely Bankia spp.), pholads (Martesia striata), Limnoria and Sphaeroma terebrans. Mos...
E L Galore, J Norton, A Zahora


Assessing changes in hardness of furfurylated wood on a nano-scale to mimic levels experienced by the marine wood-boring crustacean, Limnoria
2023 - IRG/WP 23-11016
Wood-boring crustaceans and bivalves can cause severe damage to wooden structures in the marine environment, warranting the need for novel protection systems, such as chemical modifications. Furfurylation increases mechanical properties and resistance of timber species that would usually be susceptible to biodegradation by these borers, such as pine. In rapid laboratory and field testing, furfuryl...
L Martin, J Zekonyte, S Lande, M Westin, S Cragg


Effect of Moisture Cycles and Timber Treatment on the Performance of Screwed Connections
2023 - IRG/WP 23-20694
The impact of moisture in timber structures is associated with the deterioration of timber, and loss of mechanical performance. Methods have been developed to treat timber using chemicals to inhibit deterioration, however, water intrusion has much more immediate effects on the mechanical properties of timber associated with swelling and shrinkage of the wood. The effects of moisture on the mechani...
L Yermán, M Xiao, Z Yan, L-M Ottenhaus


Moisture performance of wooden shingles tested on the Golobar cable yarding
2023 - IRG/WP 23-20704
Wood is a traditional roofing material in Europe and other parts of the world. In the 17th century, wooden roofing was generally used on more important buildings, but today it is mainly used on huts and houses in the Alpine regions. As wooden roofing is expensive, we investigated the possibility of extending the service life of the roofing through material selection and details. The roof of the Go...
M Humar, B Lesar, D Kržišnik


Performance of a noise barrier with different wood materials – results from a service trial after 25 years of exposure
2023 - IRG/WP 23-30776
In connection with the construction of the railway connection between Stockholm Arlanda airport and Stockholm city, an 11 km long noise barrier made of untreated European larch was built along the railway line. This provided an opportunity to implement a full-scale study comparing different untreated wood species and preservative treatments. Thus, in March 1996 ten test sections including untreate...
J Jermer, M Westin


Long-term field performance of a carbon-based preservative in ground contact test conditions
2023 - IRG/WP 23-30781
Carbon-based preservatives have demonstrated reasonable long-term field performance in above ground testing. This study examines the performance of a carbon-based preservative formulation containing quaternary ammonium compounds and tebuconazole as a treatment for three softwood species exposed in ground contact at two sites in Canada. The treatment was associated with improved decay resistance an...
C Wilson, J Zhang, R Stirling


Field performance of MCA-treated wood in ground contact
2023 - IRG/WP 23-30782
Micronized Copper Azole (MCA) was evaluated for its ability to resist biodegradation at two Canadian test sites using Pacific silver fir and white spruce stakes, and lodgepole pine and red pine roundwood posts. After 12 years of exposure the treated stakes exhibited low to moderate levels of decay while the untreated controls had failed. When stakes were moved to an active termite site, the untrea...
C Wilson, J Zhang, R Stirling


Performance of treated Malaysian semantang bamboo (Gigantochloa scortechinii) - field and laboratory durability evaluation
2023 - IRG/WP 23-30788
Field performance of sematan bamboo, Gigantochloa scortechinii was evaluated under the Malaysian tropical climate, along with laboratory evaluation to white-rot fungi and mold. Starch was removed from the bamboo by submerging the bamboo in the river for 6-8 weeks, kiln-dried and cut to 300 mm (L) round bamboo and 25 mm (W) x 50 mm (L) stripe for the field and laboratory test respectively. Bamboo w...
S Lipeh, T Khadiran, Z Jalaludin, M K Anwar U


Outdoor performance of Tanalith® K treated timber: Dimensional stability and corrosivity towards metal fasteners
2023 - IRG/WP 23-30798
This study was carried out to investigate dimensional stability and corrosivity towards metal fasteners in radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) treated with Tanalith® K to Hazard class 4 (H4) retentions in comparison with chromated copper arsenic (CCA) treated timber. For corrosion test, untreated and treated matched specimens were prepared from Australian-grown radiata pine, tested with mild stee...
G Rassam, J Hague, D Humphrey


Adhesion and performance of exterior wood coatings on chemically and thermally modified wood – Results from 5.5 years outdoor exposure
2023 - IRG/WP 23-40964
Non-durable softwood and hardwood species were treated with the water-soluble cyclic N-methylol compounds 1,3-dimethylol-4,5-dihydroxyethyleneurea (DMDHEU) and methylated DMDHEU. One half of the modified specimens were coated with a waterborne acrylic coating system prior a natural weathering for 5.5 years according to EN 927-3 (2020). By frequent evaluations, the impact of chemical modifications ...
L Emmerich, H Militz


Estimation of single shear strength performance of screw joints with decayed wood
2023 - IRG/WP 23-40968
In order to use existing wooden structures for a long term, it is necessary to evaluate appropriately the damage degree of bio-deterioration of the structural performance including the members and joint systems. As one for them, it is necessary to estimate more accurate the single shear strength performance of screw joints with decay. Therefore, we proposed the model considering the yield strength...
R Inoue, K Tanaka, T Mori


Through-boring to improve the performance of low durability Eucalyptus species for utility poles: 10-year field test results of pole stubs exposed in Southeast Queensland
2023 - IRG/WP 23-40972
An impending shortage of naturally durable hardwood electricity pole timbers in Australia has encouraged investigation of alternatives containing less durable, untreatable heartwood. Through-boring or drilling holes perpendicular to the long axis before treatment, has been used successfully on refractory softwood poles in North America and might have application in Australia. The use of through-bo...
J Norton, L P Francis, J J Morrell


CIOL Wood - towards industrial scale production
2023 - IRG/WP 23-40980
CIOL® is a new, low cost, non-toxic wood modification system, needed to replace traditional and non-sustainable alternatives with great potential. It’s important to find sustainable, environmentally friendly replacements to heavy metals and biocides. In the new European Bauhaus, Ursula Von der Leyen, president of the European commission, talks about how new living environment should be beautifu...
E Larnøy, J Biørnstad


Multi-scale Experimental Study on Self-sustained Smouldering of CCA-treated Timber Poles
2023 - IRG/WP 23-40988
While it is accepted that appropriate treatment with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) will extend the design life of wood markedly, there are concerns regarding the effect of treatment on fire performance. Smouldering combustion in CCA-treated timber infrastructure can self-sustain, destroying the timber elements, as the chromium and copper present in the CCA can act as catalysts of the smouldering...
W Wu, L Yerman, J J Morrell, F Wiesner


Optimization of furfurylic alcohol/tannin ratio to improve the performance of biosourced thermoset resins for wood protection
2023 - IRG/WP 23-40994
This study concerns the chemical modification of wood with different ratios of tannin and furfuryl alcohol (FA) in the presence of maleic acid as catalyst. Tannins were used not only as cross-linking agents, but also as co-monomers to improve wood durability, while reducing the amount of FA used. Different aqueous formulations were prepared containing decreasing amount of FA (from 45.45% to 0%) an...
E Azadeh, A Pizzi, P Gérardin, C Gérardin-Charbonnier


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