Modern construction is moving more towards engineered wood products, such as glulam and cross-laminated timber (CLT). This increase is driven by the aspiration to deliver high-rise buildings with enhanced environmental profiles and human well-being. This desire to use wood in construction is pushing the need for fire treatments capable of meeting a products service life. However, the use of wood requires the use of fire-retardant treatments, which used to be based on halogens, boron and aluminium salts, though these materials have come under scrutiny in recent years, leading to the development of new treatments. Currently, the majority of fire retardants are water soluble, meaning that exposed, uncoated surfaces are prone to suffer leaching of the treatment over time, meaning that many treatments are regarded as not suited for such outdoor use. Work at Luleå University of Technology has, in recent years, focussed on the combination of wood modification and fire treatment, with an emphasis on encapsulating fire treatments within the modification system, such that they are permanently held within the wood matrix, yet still capable of imparting their fire-retardant properties. This paper gives an overview of work carried out to date.

Download document (513 kb)
free for the members of IRG. Available if purchased.

Purchase this document