Various methods of decay assessment were investigated. Three stages or phases of decay were identified which could be used to describe the efficacy of a preservative system or virulence of a soil-bed testing medium. These included the lag, decay, and senescent phase. Premature senescence could arise if wood samples became waterlogged. It was concluded that time to failure was unsuitable as a method of decay assessment. Decay assessment by deflection testing was therefore limited to assessing linear losses in elasticity against time.

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