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Combining MRI and X-ray CT to monitor fungal decay of plywood and OSB in a lab test
2022 - IRG/WP 22-20683
Bio-based building materials, such as wood and wood-engineered products, are susceptible to degradation by decay fungi. In-depth knowledge on the intricate material-fungus relationship as well as performance data for many bio-based building materials are still lacking, and especially knowledge on how a material’s structure and moisture properties affect the degradation process is missing. Althou...
L De Ligne, T Núñez Guitar, C Vanhove, J Van Acker, J Van den Bulcke


Measurement of copper concentration in Cu-HDO treating solutions by handheld XRF
2022 - IRG/WP 22-20685
Copper based preservatives diluted in water dominate the wood preservative industry around the world. Periodically measurements and adjustments of the concentration of treating solutions must be performed as a part of the quality control at the treatment plant to achieve desired quality of the preservative treated wood. Many analytical methods are time consuming and must be performed under laborat...
P O Flaete


Discrimination of five commercial wood preservatives by handheld near-infrared spectrometers and Multivariate Data Analysis
2022 - IRG/WP 22-20686
Nowadays, the recycling potential of wood waste is still limited, because of a lack of reliable lack of a reliable and fast device allowing the discrimination of preservative-treated wood that contains organic or/and inorganic contaminants. The purpose of this study was to set up a methodology, based on a SCiO low-cost handheld NIR spectrometer, and multivariate data analysis (MDA). Spectra was ob...
M Rubini, P Dulucq, B Charrier


Analysis of wooden shingles after seven years of exposure
2022 - IRG/WP 22-20690
Wood is a traditional roofing material in the Alpine regions. In the 17th century, wooden roofing was typically used on more important buildings. Still, today it is predominately used on huts and houses in the hilly regions of northern and north-western Slovenia. Because wooden roofing is expensive, we investigated the possibility of extending the service life of the roofing through impregnation a...
M Humar, B Lesar, D Kržišnik, E Keržič, B Jemec


Green approach in wood mineralization for improvement of fire properties
2022 - IRG/WP 22-30769
Various treatments have been developed in order to improve fire properties of wood. Because the use of some flame retardants can release toxic compounds in the event of a fire, leading to poisoning or even death of people from smoke inhalation, the use of no-toxic and more ecologically acceptable flame retardants is preferable. Mineralization of wood with the incorporation of carbonates has proven...
A Pondelak, R Repič, L Škrlep, N Knez, F Knez, A S Škapin


Biological assessment of bio-based phase change materials in wood for construction applications
2022 - IRG/WP 22-40935
Solid wood can serve multi-functionality for energy savings in buildings. The study reveals the results of bio-deterioration and degradation of solid Scots pine wood used to incorporate single or multicomponent fatty acid mixtures as bio-based phase change materials (BPCMs). The sapwood samples were impregnated with capric acid (CA), methyl palmitate (MP), lauryl alcohol (LA) and a mixture of coco...
S Palanti, A Temiz, G Köse Demirel, G Hekimoğlu, A Sari, M Nazari, J Gao, M Jebrane, T Schnabel, N Terziev


A Comparison of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) Floor Panels using Finite Element Analysis and Experimental Fire Testing
2022 - IRG/WP 22-40955
Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is a relatively new timber product and has gained popularity in North America and Europe as a construction material. As a sustainable engineered timber product, CLT offers many advantages over solid wood, concrete, or steel construction. However, the use of timber in medium to high rise buildings is often avoided mainly due to its combustible nature. In this paper, a n...
M Yasir, A Macilwraith, K Ruane


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


Metabolite analysis of fungal COS degradation and phylogenetic investigation of COSase genes
2023 - IRG/WP 23-11018
Fungi are the major species causing microbial deterioration that reduces the commercial value of wood, such as wood decay and surface contamination, so it is important to accumulate knowledge on the physiology of fungi in order to develop countermeasures against these problems. Most physiological studies of fungi that have been reported have concerned the metabolism of carbohydrates as a source of...
R Iizuka, S Hattori, I Ohtsu, D Hibbett, Y Katayama, M Yoshida


Morphological observation of wood at the early stages of decay in brown rot and white rot
2023 - IRG/WP 23-11020
Wood rotting fungi, the fungal species causing biodeterioration for wood building, are generally classified into white-rot, brown-rot and soft-rot fungi based on their decay modes. Since white-rot and brown-rot fungi are known to reduce wood strength significantly, it is important to clarify the mechanisms of their wood degradation. White-rot fungi reduce wood strength as the decay progress and de...
R Tsukida, T Hatano, Y Kojima, Y Horikawa, S Nakaba, R Funada, M Yoshida


Virtual Reality of Wood Protection
2023 - IRG/WP 23-20698
Virtual reality (VR) is a technology that allows people to explore and interact with computer generated environments using devices that stimulate different senses (sight, sound and touch). VR is mainly used for education, training and entertainment, but it also has the potential to provide new insights into scientific phenomena. In this paper we describe the evolution of VR and its many uses, focu...
D Feng, Y Liu, M Turner, A Limaye, P D Evans


Analytical retentions of active ingredients in H2F treated framing over a 12-year period
2023 - IRG/WP 23-20702
The H2F hazard class in Australia was developed to treat internal framing timber with a surface application of an insecticide, to control mainly termites. Two of the actives approved in AS 1604.1-2010 (and subsequent revisions) for this hazard class are bifenthrin and imidacloprid. The penetration zone of both actives is 0 – 2 mm from the wood surface. Radiata pine sapwood framing timber wa...
A Siraa


Simulations of microclimates for wood-decaying fungi in the built environment using environmental analysis
2023 - IRG/WP 23-20703
Simulations of fungal decay risk were run on two similar building geometries exposed to typical annual climate conditions of two different geographical locations, Brunswick (Germany) and Cairns (Australia). The simulations were conducted to capture the effect of wind-driven rain and solar irradiation exposure over nodes of the common building geometry. The moisture content and temperature variatio...
P B van Niekerk, J Niklewski, S H Hosseini, B N Marais, I Frimannslund, T Kringlebotn Thiis, C Brischke


Investigating wood anatomical factors influencing the treatability of refractory southern pine- an imaging approach
2023 - IRG/WP 23-40975
Southern pine sapwood is non-durable, and preservative treatment is necessary to protect it against biological degradation. According to AS 1604.1 2021, timber products must have their sapwood fully treated with preservatives for various applications and hazard classes. However, there is a growing industry concern over the refractory sections of sapwood, which are untreated pockets of wood that do...
M Shirmohammadi, M R Karbaschi, B Hassan, W Leggate


The impact of pre-drying on treatment level variations of esterified solid wood analysed by X-ray densitometry
2023 - IRG/WP 23-40977
Wood modification requires homogenous treatment levels within the wood matrix to prevent insufficiently treated areas being subject to biodeterioration. Esterification of wood by citric acid and sorbitol can show differences in density caused by uneven chemical distribution during the curing phase and can be detected by x-ray densitometry. This study used density profiling to investigate the influ...
A Treu, S O Amiandamhem, E Larnoy


Effects of preservative impregnations on wettability and surface free energy properties of Eucalyptus grandis wood
2023 - IRG/WP 23-40978
Wettability and surface free energy (SFE) are crucial parameters for evaluating the adhesion thermodynamics of solid surfaces. Hence, this study investigated the effects of copper azole (CA) and disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT) preservative impregnations on Eucalyptus grandis wood wettability and SFE. Wettability was determined in terms of contact angles with polar (water) and non-polar (dii...
A A Alade, C B Wessels, H Stolze, H Militz


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


Do naturally sequestered biocidal metals contribute to the marine borer resistance of turpentine?
2024 - IRG/WP 24-11036
Turpentine wood is renowned for its resistance to attack by molluscan marine borers. This resistance is thought to be due to its high silica content, and possibly the presence of other, as yet unknown, compounds. Silica in turpentine wood is present as particles in rays, but in many plant species silica also occurs in cell walls. We hypothesized that Si is present in cell walls of turpentine, but ...
P D Evans, H Matsunaga, D Feng, M Turner, C Kewish


Investigating moisture dynamics and fungal decay risk: integrating X-ray CT visualization and simulation benchmarks through a Fungal Control Unit
2024 - IRG/WP 24-11045
Wood is susceptible to fungal attack and over time the structural integrity can be compromised. This risk is of course strongly related to moisture dynamics, as moisture is needed for fungal growth. While existing methodologies, such as lab and field tests, provide valuable insights into wood decay, they often fall short in replicating real-life conditions, particularly within the intricacies of t...
J Van den Bulcke, J Van Acker, M Delbeke, A Blommaert, N Van Den Bossche, M Steeman, L De Ligne


X-ray fluorescence microscopy of copper ion distribution in decay of copper-treated wood by Fibroporia radiculosa
2024 - IRG/WP 24-11047
Copper is an essential metal ion for eukaryotic life and must strictly be regulated as excess levels can cause oxidative damage, enzyme inhibition and denaturation, interruptions in nutrient transport and even cellular death. Copper-based wood treatments have efficacy against a wide range of biological organisms including decay fungi and are used in the majority of preservative formulations for ou...
K M Ohno, J Jakes, A B Bishell, L Li, Q Jin, E Maxey


X-ray micro-computed tomography of copper distribution in CA, ACQ and MCA treated wood and changes in microstructure of ACQ-treated southern pine following natural weathering
2024 - IRG/WP 24-20707
We hypothesized that X-ray micro-CT would be able to visualize: (a) the distribution of copper in CA-treated southern pine; and (b) microstructural changes in ACQ-treated southern pine exposed to natural weathering. Small blocks were removed from southern pine samples treated with CA and also southern pine treated with ACQ and MCA. Small blocks were also removed from ACQ-treated boards (flat and p...
D Feng, M Turner, P D Evans


Virtual reality of wood protection
2024 - IRG/WP 24-20727
Virtual reality (VR) is a technology that allows people to explore and interact with computer generated environments using devices that stimulate different senses (sight, sound and touch). VR is mainly used for education, training and entertainment, but it also has the potential to provide new insights into scientific phenomena. We describe our work on the use of VR as a learning tool for students...
D Feng, Y Liu, M Turner, A Limaye, P D Evans


Developing thermal-energy storage systems based on Kraft lignin-glyoxal and organic phase-change material modified wood
2024 - IRG/WP 24-30810
This study investigated the use of modified wood as a thermal-energy storage material through the integration of paraffin-based phase-change materials (PCMs). The objective was to evaluate the influence of Kraft lignin-glyoxal prepolymer on the properties of wood modified with PCMs. The implementation of the modified wood involved preparing PCM emulsions, synthesizing lignin-glyoxal prepolymer, an...
C-F Lin, O Karlsson, D Jones, D Sandberg


Assessment of historical pilings from Lisbon
2024 - IRG/WP 24-41004
The renovation and rebuilding of areas in Lisbon has led to work on buildings constructed in the Pombaline downtown district. These buildings were constructed on wooden pilings, as a means of stabilising unstable soils and transfer the loads from buildings to soils with adequate bearing capacity. These methods also increased the resilience of the reconstruction works to future possible earthquakes...
D Jones, S Duarte, J A J Huber, L Nunes


Changes in decay risk of wood in ground contact over Europe, from analysis of historic climate conditions
2024 - IRG/WP 24-41008
Changing climate conditions will affect global temperature and precipitation patterns, shifting some geographical areas into states that are more suitable for fungal wood decay. Climate normals, which are taken over a 30-year period, capture vast spatial and temporal variations in these conditions and comparing these can show changes over time. Importantly, being able to identify locations that ha...
P B van Niekerk, B N Marais, G Alfredsen, C Brischke


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