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Your search resulted in 421 documents. Displaying 25 entries per page.


Water Absorption of Various Building Materials and Mold Growth
2008 - IRG/WP 08-10657
Mold growth is a major problem for house owners, as it often occurs on the surface of building materials in damp houses. The principal method to control mold growth on building materials is to prevent water penetration into the materials. A study was recently conducted to determine water absorption rates of different wood species and panel materials used as building materials, when water intrusi...
Dian-Qing Yang


In-service performance of wood depends upon the critical in-situ conditions. Case studies.
2008 - IRG/WP 08-20382
Wood is a unique building material, but is by nature designed to deteriorate. A detailed understanding of the factors and interactions involved are important when working with service life prediction of wooden components in buildings. Wood may experience exponential fungal degradation caused by variation in the climatic factors within a small limited area and by minor imperfection in the wooden ...
L Ross Gobakken, J Mattsson, G Alfredsen


A preliminary note on the role of moisture absorption rate in durability assessment
2008 - IRG/WP 08-20383
The rate of moisture uptake was studied in 15 wood species using vermiculite at varying moisture levels as the exposure medium. As might be expected, moisture uptake varied widely among the species studied. While some of the more durable wood species were also resistant to moisture uptake, this was not always true. The results are discussed in relation to performance in under varying environmenta...
J J Morrell, L P Francis


Service life prediction of wood: scale-dependent tools within a bio-engineering framework
2008 - IRG/WP 08-20387
Service life prediction (SLP) is a complex yet essential method for the building industry. Accurate and precise assessment of the components is crucial for a strong position of wood on the market. As it is a biological material, wood has an inherent variability and is susceptible to fungal attack. Therefore a profound knowledge of these characteristics is the corner stone of SLP for wood products....
J Van den Bulcke, J Van Acker, M Stevens


Development of a Weatherometer to Accelerate the Surface Checking of Wood
2008 - IRG/WP 08-20388
There is significant interest in developing preservatives that are better at preventing wood from checking. Currently, however, there is no accepted test methodology for accelerating the development of checks in wood samples so information on the effectiveness of treatments at restricting checking can be obtained more quickly. This paper describes the development of a new type of weatherometer (Ac...
R Ratu, P D Evans


Propolis for wood finishing
2008 - IRG/WP 08-30464
Possibilities of use of propolis for finishing of beech, maple and spruce wood were investigated. In the first part of the paper, an overview of propolis composition, properties and applications is given. 33.6 % mixture of propolis with 96 % ethanol was prepared and the ethanol solution of soluble propolis components (29.0 %) was applied to wooden substrates. Thin propolis films were formed on woo...
F Budija, M Humar, B Kricej, M Petric


Preservative treatment of strips of Bambusa balcooa by soaking process using Borax-Boric acid
2008 - IRG/WP 08-30478
Bamboo strips made from Borak bamboo (Bambusa balcooa) were treated with 10% borax-boric acid aqueous solution by soaking process. The moisture contents of the bamboo strips were 12%, 20% and 30%. The strips were soaked for one, two, three, four and five days. The penetration of the solution was investigated by colour test after soaking and drying. Full penetration was observed after three days ...
K Akhter, M W Sheikh, M M Rahman, T A Chowdhury, M H Chowdhury


Surface Characteristics of Southern pine treated with Eastern red cedar oil
2008 - IRG/WP 08-40393
Treatment of wood with various chemicals play an important role on their surface characteristics including as roughness and hardness for further processing such as finishing and machining. The objective of this study is to evaluate surface roughness of Southern pine (Pinus taeda L.) treated with oil extracted from eastern redcedar (Juniperus viginiana L.). Both tangential and radial surfaces of...
S Hiziroglu


Effects of bleaching process on the roughness values of wood surfaces of Lebanon cedar (Cedrus libani A. Rich.) and Black poplar (Populus nigra L.) using NaOH (sodium hydroxide), H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) and Ca(OH)2 (calcium hydroxide)
2008 - IRG/WP 08-40403
Technical progress in the wood industry has been rapid in recent times. In this case, the quality assurance of the consumer products aligned with aesthetics value appears as one of the most important parameters. Because of the outer appearance of goods exert an effect on customers, interest in production of high quality surfaces of wooden commodities has increased essentially based on the surface ...
I Usta, E Aydinlar


Effect of CCA and Tanalith E on the performance of surface finishing
2008 - IRG/WP 08-40405
Effect of CCA and Tanalith E treatment on the performance of surface finishing properties was the objectives of this study. Sapwood of scots pine, (Pinus sylvestris L.) and oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsk.) specimens (300 x 100 x 15 mm along the grain) were impregnated with aqueous solution of CCA 2% and Tanalith E 2%. Surface roughness, dry film thickness, adhesion strength, gloss measur...
T Ozdemir, A Temiz, I Aydin


Thermal treatment of Nigerian-grown Albizzia zygia and Funtumia elastica wood in soy oil medium.
2008 - IRG/WP 08-40413
Thermal treatment in soy oil medium is one of the techniques used as a substitute to the chemical treatment in wood preservation. However, the effects of this technique vary from one species to another and hence the need to investigate the response of individual species to it. Thermal treatment of air-dried Nigerian-grown Albizzia zygia and Funtumia elastica wood was carried out in a vessel contai...
L Awoyemi


Effects of Moisture Content and Species on Penetration of Liquid in Laser Incised Lumber by the Passive Impregnation Method
2008 - IRG/WP 08-40408
Penetration of liquid by passive impregnation method for Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii Franco), sugi (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) and Japanese larch (Larix leptolepis Gordon) were studied. Effects of initial moisture content of sugi (16, 43 and 70% moisture content) on liquid penetration by the method were also studied. Dried Douglas-fir and sugi, and green Japanese larch and sugi were treat...
N Hattori, M Nazrul Islam, K Ando, H Yamauchi


Changes in hygroscopic, mechanical and surface properties of Scottish-grown Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis) wood subjected to dry heat treatment
2008 - IRG/WP 08-40415
Heat-treatment is a wood modification method which has been used to some extent in improving timber quality. However, the main limitation in the use of this technique despite its numerous advantages is the adverse effects on the various properties associated with the use of wood as an engineering material. Dry heat treatment of Scottish-grown Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) wood was carried out at...
L Awoyemi, M C Jarvis, A Hapca


Surface color and roughness characteristics of medium density fiberboard (MDF) panels treated with fire retardants
2008 - IRG/WP 08-40420
The objective of this study was to determine surface characteristics and color change properties of Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) treated by fire retardants (FR) with 10% concentration. Experimental panels were made using by melamine ureaformaldehyde (MUF) adhesive having 10%, 15%, 20% of melamine. The surface properties of the samples were determined using a fine stylus technique. Three roughn...
D Ustaömer, M Usta, S Hiziroglu


Comparison of permeability at different levels of moisture content in Bornmullerian fir (Abies bornmulleriana Mattf.) and Eastern spruce (Picea orientalis L.) impregnated under vacuum/pressure through full-cell method by using CCA and CCB of different concentrations
2007 - IRG/WP 07-40366
In this study, a comparison has been made in terms of the combined, longitudinal, tangential, and radial permeability of the species of Bornmullerian fir (Abies bornmulleriana Mattf.) and Eastern spruce (Picea orientalis L.) with moisture contents of 50 % and 15 %, which were impregnated under vacuum/pressure through full-cell method by using water-borne wood preservatives (impregnation materials)...
I Usta


The Effects of Solar Radiation on the Fungal Colonization and Color of Weathered Wood
2008 - IRG/WP 08-10676
Solar radiation rapidly depolymerizes lignin at wood surfaces exposed outdoors producing a suite of low molecular weight aromatic compounds within weathered wood. Fungi colonizing weathered wood are able to metabolize these aromatic compounds, and many of them also contain high levels of melanin to protect themselves from the harmful effects of UV radiation. Both of these adaptations suggest that ...
V Hernandez, C Breuil, P D Evans


Laboratory and field exposures of FRT plywood: Part 1. Physical test data
2008 - IRG/WP 08-40426
Our understanding of the laboratory induced degradation with fire retardant systems is currently limited since we are unable to correlate laboratory steady-state experiments with actual in-service field degradation. Current model studies have generally been limited to isothermal rate studies with selected model FR chemicals. Other factors also play a major role in the degradation of FR-treated woo...
H M Barnes, J E Winandy, C R McIntyre


High Temperature Treated Wood
2008 - IRG/WP 08-40429
High temperature can modify internal structure and physic-chemical properties of wood by a controlled pyrolysis process. Such treatment, among other changes in properties, modifies the wood color in a way that resembles exotic species, increasing its market value. The main objective of this work is to determine the changes in wood properties caused by the effect of temperature and time, in order t...
C C Borges, A L Barbosa, R Faber de Campos, S T Targas


Improving the Dimensional Stability and Fire Resistance of OSB by Roller-Coating Panels with UV-Curable Finishes
2008 - IRG/WP 08-40434
Oriented strandboard was sanded and roller-coated with UV-cured finishes. The effects of these treatments on the surface roughness, dimensional stability and fire resistance of OSB were assessed. Sanding reduced the average roughness of OSB, but it had a smaller effect on maximum roughness because sanded boards still contained surface voids between some strands. Sanded boards absorbed less than ha...
P D Evans, I Cullis


Moisture adsorption isotherms of wood studies using a dynamic vapour sorption apparatus
2009 - IRG/WP 09-20398
Five types of wood including two Malaysian hardwoods acacia mangium (Acacia mangium) and sesenduk (Endospermum malaccense), two temperate softwoods, Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), radiata pine (Pinus radiata) and Accoya (commercially modified wood) were studied to determine their moisture sorption behaviour using a Dynamic Vapour Sorption (DVS) apparatus. The isotherm plot for each species teste...
J Zaihan, C A S Hill, S Curling


Building with termites: The challenge of biomimetic design for carbon neutral buildings.
2009 - IRG/WP 09-20405
The main aim of this paper is to present humanity and termites as design partners in the creation of a new dimension of ecosystem understanding. “Beyond biomimicry: What termites can tell us about realizing the living building”, Turner and Soar (2008) opens up a new era in how we think of human habitations, not only on earth, but maybe on other planets, and using the termite model as the corne...
J R J French, B M Ahmed (Shiday)


Evaluation of exposure conditions for wooden facades and decking
2009 - IRG/WP 09-20408
During their functional life, building components are exposed to moisture and other environment stress conditions in numerous ways. This is a fact that should be taken into account during manufacture, product development, designing and work execution of building components. For wood material, moisture stress and biological factors like mould and decay fungi are often critical in cladding and decki...
H Viitanen, T Toratti, R Peuhkuri, T Ojanen, L Makkonen


Evaluation of variables that influence dynamic MOE in wood decay studies
2009 - IRG/WP 09-20409
The effect of wood moisture content (MC) and outdoor exposure of southern pine lap-joint components on dynamic MOE values was investigated. The use of dynamic MOE as a method of measuring progressive biodeterioration of above ground test samples shows promise, but the accuracy of this method for evaluating test samples subjected to fluctuating environmental conditions has not been reported. The re...
D Nicholas, J Shi, T Schultz


Continuous moisture measurement (CMM) to detect failure of moisture resistance
2009 - IRG/WP 09-20422
A wood coating system will fail to perform properly after a certain time of weathering. From that moment, the substrate is especially prone to fungal attack. Moisture plays a key role on weathering performance, wood protection efficacy and decay susceptibility of wood. Therefore, knowledge of the moisture dynamics of the applied wood protection is of significant importance in the prediction of the...
I De Windt, J Van den Bulcke, J Van Acker


Leaching of the copper component from full scale decking boards during one summer season
2009 - IRG/WP 09-50260
The leaching of copper has been tested in laboratory and in outside exposure for freshly treated pine sapwood samples with three different copper preservatives, Cu HDO, copper quat and copper triazoles. We found in the laboratory leaching test that a fixation with warming to 60 °C (140 °F) for 48 hours without drying and then drying in the laboratory in room temperature gave the lowest leaching of copper. We also found that surface treatments with wood oils reduced the leaching, and that washing of the surface before testing had no effect. Full scale decking board samples (0.25 m2) were then exposed outdoors for rain. The rain water was collected and analysed for copper. After one summer season (about 600 mm rain) we found that the leaching differ for the three preservatives. All samples with a water borne surface treatment had the lowest leaching, about half the amount of untreated.
F G Evans


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