IRG Documents Database and Compendium


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Visual assessment of longitudinal wheel timbers and assessing the feasibility of extending wheel timber service life in the UK railway network
2019 - IRG/WP 19-20651
Timber has been a versatile building material for centuries and during the start of the Railway Age in the nineteenth century it was in considerable demand for use in the railway network, particularly bridge building. Timber is still in service and widely used throughout the UK railway network. The resilience and favourable strength to weight ratio and its relative ease of fabrication make it an...
J R Williams


Protecting Sustainable Wood Infrastructure ̶ Improving the Performance of Poles, Piles, Ties & Timbers with Dual Treatments
2019 - IRG/WP 19-30735
Wood is by far the best structural material in terms of environmental impact, as shown by a number of LCA studies. This environmental impact superiority can be improved if the longevity of the commodity is extended. The main durability concern in large cross-section treated materials is the susceptibility of the heartwood to decay, as it is not typically treatable using traditional methods. This ...
J Lloyd, A Taylor, C Brischke, N Irby, M Manning


Treatability of native and exotic alternative timber species
2019 - IRG/WP 19-40864
The service life of moderately durable species can be extended significantly if the challenge of effective treatment of refractory wood species can be overcome. Along with preservative effectiveness, the performance of preservative in treated wood depends on factors such as retention and penetration in treated wood, the wood anatomy, the uniformity of penetration and micro-distribution within the ...
D Page, T Singh


2018 Railway Tie Survey and the Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials Rulemaking Activities
2019 - IRG/WP 19-50352
This presentation will discuss a survey AAR recently completed on the management of used crossties in the North American rail industry. Approximately 23 million new wood ties are purchased and installed in the North American rail network every year. The presentation will show the number and percentage of ties which are managed by reused in track, reuse in commercial, agricultural or residential la...
R Fronczak, S Smith


Start with “wood”
2019 - IRG/WP 19-50353
The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing. The rate of build-up of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere can be reduced by taking advantage of the fact that atmospheric CO2 can accumulate as carbon in vegetation and soils in terrestrial ecosystems. Using wood reduces the carbon footprint in two key ways – through carbon storage and avoided greenhouse gas emissions, bec...
D Krzisnik, M Humar


Longterm Performance of Treated Timbers in Marine Exposures
2020 - IRG/WP 20-10969
The performance of preservative-treated or modified woods in marine exposures was evaluated at test sites in Newport, Oregon, USA and Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. All samples have exhibited excellent performance at the Newport, Oregon site, while attack was more aggressive at the sub-tropical Brisbane site. Acetylated wood as well as samples treated with 7.3% chromated copper arsenate (CCA-T...
M Konkler, A R Zahora, J Norton, J J Morrell


Sterilization of Large Timbers during Preservative Treatment: How Quickly We Forget
2020 - IRG/WP 20-40902
Air seasoning is a common method of moisture management in utility poles and is done de facto during pole storage prior to treatment. However, extended air drying prior to treatment encourages fungal attack and can facilitate establishment of decay fungi in poles before a protective preservative barrier is applied. This problem can be mitigated by proper air-seasoning methods coupled with heat ste...
G Presley, J Cappellazzi, M Konkler, K Maguire, R Nelson, J J Morrell


Chemotaxonomy of the genus Aquilaria (Thymelaeaceae)
2022 - IRG/WP 22-20687
The genus Aquilaria Lam. (Thymelaeaceae) comprises 21 tree species and is mostly found in Southeast Asia. When the tree is infected (fungi, bacteria, etc.), its wood turns brownish or blackish (called agarwood) due to the secretion of an oleoresin in reaction to the infection. The resin is very fragrant and has been sought after and used for centuries by Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims to make incen...
C Zaremski, N Amusant, C Andary, M Ducousso, S Hul, G Michaloud, A Zaremski


Susceptibility of selected Australian commercial timbers to West Indian drywood termite Cryptotermes brevis
2023 - IRG/WP 23-11003
West Indian drywood termite (Cryptotermes brevis) is a globally distributed timber pest and is invasive in Queensland, Australia, causing widespread damage to structures and large economic impacts in control and repair costs. Despite this, the knowledge of which specific timbers are susceptible to attack is limited and requires investigation. Two six-week feeding trials were performed, exposing se...
W Haigh, R A Hayes, B Hassan


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


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