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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


Wood plastic composites from modified wood. Part 2 - Durability in laboratory decay tests
2006 - IRG/WP 06-40353
The decay resistance of wood plastic composites, WPCs, was tested according to modified versions of AWPA E10 (soil-block test) and ENV 807 (tests in three un-sterile soils, terrestrial microcosms, TMCs). The WPC materials were conically extruded profiles with 30% polypropylene content. The 70% wood content was untreated Scots pine sapwood, acetylated pine and heat treated Norway spruce, respective...
M Westin, P Larsson Brelid, M L Edlund, G Alfredsen


The influence of wood density on the durabilities of three Ghanaian hardwoods (Nauclea diderrichii (de Wild.) Merr., Nesogordonia papaverifera (A. Chev.) R. Capuron and Corynanthe pachyceras Welw.) )
2007 - IRG/WP 07-10603
Review of factors that influence wood durability shows that although density varies depending on stem position, its role on decay resistance appears controversial. The role density plays in influencing the durability of three hardwoods from Ghana, namely Nauclea diderrichii (de Wild.) Merr., Nesogordonia papaverifera (A. Chev.) R. Capuron) and Corynanthe pachyceras Welw. is therefore investigated ...
C Antwi-Boasiako, A J Pitman, J R Barnett


On the reasons of Prunus africana natural durability
2007 - IRG/WP 07-10611
Analysis of Prunus africana heartwood extractives was studied with the aim of understanding the reasons for its high natural durability. Soxhlet extractions of wood powder using different solvents were carried out. Effect of each extracts at different concentrations was evaluated on the growth of several fungi among which Coriolus versicolor, Poria placenta, and Aureobasidium pullulans. Results sh...
F Mburu, S Dumarçay, M F Thévenon, P Gérardin


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


An Investigation of the use and Durability of some Industrial and Domestic woods of Iran against Destructives factor in Caspian Sea
2007 - IRG/WP 07-10613
Use of domestic and commercial woods of the Caspian Sea forest fringes and evaluation of their durability against marine destructive factors were investigated. The samples of species of elm (Zelkova carpinifolia), oak (Quercus castanifolia), beech (Fagus orientalis), Maple (Acer insgin), Alder (Alnus subcordata), and horn beech (Carpinus betulus) were impregnated with CCA (Chrome–Cupper-Arsenic)...
S M Kazemi


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


Marine exposure assessment in southern Portugal of the natural resistance of a number of lesser known species of tropical hardwoods to teredinid and limnoriid borers
2007 - IRG/WP 07-10614
Naturally durable species of timber are used as an alternative to preservative treated timber for marine structures, but many species have not been evaluated for their potential for use in this environment. EN 275 specifies a 5-year test period - too long a period for screening tests to be economically viable. In this study, candidate timber species were selected for testing in the sea on the basi...
J R Williams, S M Cragg, L M S Borges, J D Icely, G S Sawyer


The characteristics of biodegradation mechanism of gamma-irradiated wood
2007 - IRG/WP 07-20352
Gamma radiation, as an easy, fast and effective sterilisation method, changes molecular structure in pest’s living cells, but also in wooden cell walls. Radiation-induced depolymerisation causes significant changes in wood properties crucial for laboratory testing of wood-preservative effectiveness. Natural durability of wood against rot fungi in lab conditions dependency on different sterilisat...
R Despot, M Hasan, F Pohleven, M Humar, G Rep


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


Methods for Determining the Role of Extractives in the Natural Durability of Western Redcedar Heartwood
2007 - IRG/WP 07-20356
The durability of western redcedar heartwood is influenced by a number of different extractives operating by different mechanisms. In order to guide a systematic isolation of extractives with high fungal toxicity, a micro-bioassay has been developed for measuring the fungal toxicity of extractive fractions. Two additional assays quantify the anti-radical and metal chelating properties of cedar ext...
R Stirling, C R Daniels, J E Clark, P I Morris


Predicting the decay resistance of timber above-ground: 2. When can reliable field data be obtained?
2007 - IRG/WP 07-20368
Application of modern performance-based engineering and design requires building products that are thoroughly characterised in terms of their ability to perform as expected over time. The engineering community is attempting to use this information to provide predicted service-lives for various building elements. Increasingly, this service-life prediction must be based on objective measurement coup...
L P Francis, A J Swain, J J Morrell


Expected service life of outdoor wooden structures such as guard fences and noise barriers indicated by questionnaire survey
2007 - IRG/WP 07-20372
Forestry Agency, Japan has intended to expand the utilization of domestic wood in many areas such as not only housing constructions also outdoor structures. In order to respond the policy, actual durability and service life of these structures should be clarified, and the guide line for archiving planned service life also should be established. Japan Wood Preservers Industries Association carried ...
K Yamamoto, A Makita, A Yamaguchi, T Shiraishi, K Maeda, D Tezuka, S Katsumata, M Higaki


Study of natural durability of Spanish Eucalyptus globulus wood
2007 - IRG/WP 07-10617
In some countries such as Australia, the wood of Eucalyptus globulus is recommended, due to its high durability, in risk situations where attack by organisms is likely to occur. In Galicia this species has been used for many decades for timber structures, which are still used. However, European Standard EN-350-2 places Eucalyptus globulus in the worst category of natural durability, a situation th...
D Lorenzo, M T Troya, M J Prieto, C Baso, M Touza


Effects of heat treatments on decay resistance and material properties of ponderosa pine and yellow poplar
2007 - IRG/WP 07-40374
The potential for using heat treatment to improve the properties of North American fenestration species was evaluated on ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa L) and yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L) treated using the ThermoWood process at various treatment temperatures and times. Soil block tests using Gloeophyllum trabeum, Postia placenta, or Trametes versicolor showed that durability was enh...
C Vidrine, C Freitag, J Nicholson, J J Morrell


Marine Borer Resistance of Modified Wood - Results from Seven Years in Field
2007 - IRG/WP 07-40375
Wood modified by several methods has been tested for seven years in a marine field with high marine borer activity. Several wood modification methods were included, e.g. thermal modification (with different processes), acetylation, maleoylation, succinylation, furfurylation, treatment with methylated melamine resin and modification with reactive linseed oil derivative. Furthermore, some combinatio...
M Westin, A O Rapp, T Nilsson


Protection of wood for above ground application through modification with a fatty acid modified N-methylol/paraffin formulation
2007 - IRG/WP 07-40378
Hydrophobic chemical modification can be regarded as an alternative approach to conventional wood preservation using biocides in order to protect wood in hazard class 3 according the European Standard EN 335-1. A formulation containing fatty acid modified N-methylol/paraffin and an aluminium salt catalyst was used to change the material properties of wood in order to protect wood from fungal dec...
Nguyen Hong Minh, H Militz, C Mai


Treatment of Selected Lesser Used Timber Species against Subterranean Termites using Heartwood Extracts from Teak (Tectona grandis) and Dahoma (Piptadeniastrum africanum)
2007 - IRG/WP 07-30434
Lesser used timber species represent a valuable material for all-purpose uses but the problem is that most of them are not durable. They have, for this reason, been treated with all manner of chemicals to enhance their natural durability, especially in the tropics. Often, most of these chemicals pose a threat to the environment. Currently, one probable measure of avoiding such a threat to the envi...
A Asamoah, C Antwi-Boasiako


Tropical In-Ground Durability of CCB-treated Keruing and other Structural Sarawak Timbers after 8 – 10 Years Exposure
2007 - IRG/WP 07-30439
The heartwood of 12 mainly low-durability native timber species of Sarawak [4 Dipterocarpus (Keruing) species, Anisoptera grossivenia (Mersawa kunyit), Canarium apertum (Seladah), Dacryodes incurvata (Seladah laut), Dryobalanops oblongifolia (Kapur kelansau), Mesua macrantha (Mergasing), Podocarpus micropedunculatus (Kayu cina), Shorea compressa (Engkabang langgai), and Pterospermum javanicum (Ba...
A H H Wong, Ling Wang Choon


Bamboo Protection Research: Contributions from India
2007 - IRG/WP 07-40355
Bamboo preservation has become more important in India because of Government’s directions to develop bamboo resources and adopt their rational utilization to conserve natural forests. This paper traces the development of various processes for treatment of bamboo and their effectiveness. Results obtained by various workers since 1947 when systematic work on bamboo protection was first published. ...
S Kumar


Durability of timber from exotic species against termite attack in Indian conditions
2007 - IRG/WP 07-10629
Exotic trees species, Acacia mangium Willd. and A. auriculiformis A. Cunn. ex Benth. and their hybrid are widely grown in India for multiple uses including use as timber. It is essential to know the natural durability of timbers against termites for predicting the service life of the timber and deciding on the application of preservatives to enhance the durability. Studies were conducted to test t...
O K Remadevi, R Muthukrishnan


Durability of some alternatives to preservative-treated wood. Progress report 2: Results from field tests after 5 years’exposure
2007 - IRG/WP 07-30442
A number of alternatives to preservative-treated wood have been tested according to EN 252 (stake test) and a specially designed ground-proximity field test, the latter in Sweden as well as in Hawaii, USA. Seven untreated wood species and four alternative wood treatments labelled as environmentally friendly (acetylation, linseed oil, heat treatment, vinyl polymer) were included in the study. Four ...
M-L Edlund, J Jermer


Detection of Anti-Fungal Sapwood Extractives in Non-Durable Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris), Rubberwood (Hevea brasiliensis) and Jelutong (Dyera costulata)
2007 - IRG/WP 07-10634
A general laboratory bioassay method of Woodward and Pearce (1985) was adopted to detect anti-fungal activity of sapwood or heartwood extractives of 5 Malaysian hardwoods [dark red meranti heartwood (Shorea spp.), red balau heartwood (Shorea spp.), kulim heartwood (Scorodocarpus borneensis), jelutong sapwood (Dyera costulata) and rubberwood sapwood (Hevea brasiliensis), including the temperate Pin...
A H H Wong, R B Pearce


Effect of fiber type and content on the natural durability of wood flour/high density polyethylene composites against rainbow fungus (Coriolus versicolor)
2007 - IRG/WP 07-40387
In order to evaluate the effect of fiber type and content on the natural durability of wood flour/high density polyethylene (HDPE) composites against Coriolus versicolor, samples containing 25% and 50% by weight of various natural fibers and HDPE were selected. Natural fibers included in the study were wood flour, rice hulls, hemp fibers and newsprint. Samples containing 25% and 50% natural fiber ...
A Karimi, M Tajvidi, S Pourabbasi


Effect of Compatibilizer on the Natural Durability of Wood Flour/High Density Polyethylene Composites Against Rainbow Fungus (Coriolus versicolor)
2007 - IRG/WP 07-40388
To evaluate the effect of compatibilizer on the natural durability of wood flour/high density polyethylene composites against Coriolus versicolor, composites containing 25% and 50% by weight maple wood flour and 1% and 2% compatibilizer (Maleic anhydride polyethylene (MAPE)), respectively, were sampled. Identical specimens of the same composites without the compatibilizer were also prepared. ...
Sara Pourabbasi, A Karimi, D Parsapajouh, M Tajvidi, M Soleymani


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