Comprehensive approaches to predict performance of wood products are requested by international standards and the first attempts have been made in the frame of European research projects. However, there is still an immanent need for a methodology to implement the durability and moisture performance of wood in a performance classification system. The aim of this study was therefore to establish an approach to predict service life of wood above ground taking into account the combined effect of wetting ability and durability data. A comprehensive data set was obtained from laboratory durability tests and still ongoing field trials in Norway with 21 different wood species. Supplementary, four different wetting ability tests were performed with the same material. Based on a dose-response concept decay rates for specimens exposed above ground were predicted on the base of various indicating factors. A model was developed and optimised taking into account the resistance of wood against soft, white and brown rot as well as relevant types of water uptake and release. Verification of the model was done using above ground field test data from different test sites. The model was found to be fairly reliable and it has the advantage to get implemented into existing engineering design guidelines. The approach at hand might be furthermore used for implementing wetting ability data into performance classification as requested by European standardisation bodies.

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