IRG Documents Database and Compendium


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Modelling the control of decay in freshly felled pine poles
1997 - IRG/WP 97-10206
In a recent study investigating control of decay in freshly felled pine utility poles, it became apparent that the efficacy of different treatment methods was strongly related to the size of the material being treated. A topical application of 5% w/v disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT), brush applied to the cut surfaces of logs with otherwise intact bark was just as effective at excluding white...
M W Schoeman, W Van der Werf, J F Webber, D J Dickinson


Service life planning of wooden structures: Mathematical prediction models versus professional experience
2019 - IRG/WP 19-20663
During the last 15 years, enormous efforts have been made in developing models for predicting the service life of wooden structures and components. Currently, a framework of how exposure, dimension, design details and the material-intrinsic and the ability to take up and release water can be linked to model the moisture risk in wood products is in principle available. The aim of this study was to...
C Brischke, J Niklewski, M Humar, G Alfredsen


Modelling of PCP migration in the environment: Feeding the models with laboratory data
1993 - IRG/WP 93-50001-08
In 1989, Hydro-Québec began a study program on pentachlorophenol (PCP) to ensure safe use of the product at all stages. One of the aspects of the study is the creation of a predictive system for evaluating the behavior of PCP and oil migration from wood poles to the environment. This system comprises four mathematical models for predicting PCP and oil migration in and on the surface of the pole, ...
A Besner, P Tétreault, R Gilbert


Soft rot cavity widening - A consideration of the kinetics
1984 - IRG/WP 1227
Studies on the micromorphology of soft rot cavity formation by Phialophora hoffmannii in birch using time-lapse cinemicrography are briefly outlined. A mathematical model is constructed to describe the cavity widening process, particularly changes in the surface area of a hypothetical cavity during enlargement. On comparison with observed data it is concluded that the rate of cavity widening is de...
M D C Hale, R A Eaton


Statistically stable models for determination of PEC
1999 - IRG/WP 99-50135
In June 1998 the European Wood Preservative Manufacturer's Group prepared a document to support the Technical Guidance concerning the placing of products on the market with respect to the Directive 98/08/EC (BPD). The essentials of this document were presented at the COST E2 meeting in Cannes last year and at the following IRG conference (Baines and Davis, 1998; IRG/WP/98-50101/20). The d...
W J Homan, A L Van Oosten Van


Computerised data acquisitioning, handling and processing in wood preservation studies
1984 - IRG/WP 2218
The computerisation of data acquisitioning, handling and processing in weathering studies on wood treated with protective coatings is discussed. An integrated system comprising a data base, statistical package and a custom written graphical processor is explained. Two treatments are compared and the correctness of a mathematical weathering model is evaluated....
T Rypstra, K Vos


The proposal for optimalization of the agar-block method for wood preservatives fungitoxic evaluation
1995 - IRG/WP 95-20065
On the base of own research and other scientists results the proposal for optimalization of agar-block method was presented by: - selection of test fungal species and strains and central distribution of their pure cultures, - change of the treatment and control samples exposure procedure, - application of mathematical estimation of toxic value results, - shortening the duration of fungitoxic t...
J Wazny


Current models used by the European Health Authorities to evaluate the volatilization of active ingredients from treated wood used inside dwellings. A case study: Volatilization of azaconazole and propiconazole from treated wood
1990 - IRG/WP 3565
The use of wood preservatives inside houses may result in measurable aerial concentrations of active ingredients. These airborne contaminants may be inhaled by the inhabitants over periods lasting from a couple of days to several months. To assess the potential health hazard of preservative residues in the air, various risk-assessment models have been worked out. Three schemes, currently used by t...
A R Valcke, L Van Leemput


The mathematical study of test plot data
1987 - IRG/WP 2282
It has long been desirable to have a mathematical expression, which, by the insertion of statistically derived constants, would describe the behavior of test specimens in service. The philosophy of such expressions is briefly discussed, and the history of the concept is outlined. The modern approach to the problem dates from the graphical presentation of dosage-response and deterioration curves by...
W H Hartford


Preliminary modelling of methylisothiocyanate movement through Douglas fir transmission poles
1988 - IRG/WP 3466
Methylisothiocyanate is a volatile solid that is the active ingredient of several registered and experimental wood fumigants. Information on the sorption and diffusion of this chemical in Douglas-fir heartwood and sapwood was used to develop a two-dimensional model of fumigant movement within a single horizontal cross-section of a transmission pole. The model indicated that dry wood (14% MC) stron...
A R Zahora, P E Humphrey, J J Morrell


Models of the critical time of humidity and temperature conditions for the development of mould fungi in pine and spruce sapwood
1995 - IRG/WP 95-20066
Regression models of the time factor for the growth of mould fungi in pine and spruce sapwood are studied. The first group of models are based on the results of exposures of mould fungi in static humidity and temperature conditions indicating the time for the start of mould growth in wood. The second group of models are based on the exposures of mould fungi in fluctuating or alternating humidity a...
H Viitanen


Quantification des émanations de substances dans l'air ambiant a partir des bois traités
1993 - IRG/WP 93-50001-27
Pesticides on wood for the purpose of its protection may evaporate. Eventual toxicity of such emanations justifies risk assessment procedures for indoor air in building. This document describes bench scale tests based on the technique of chambers developped by CTBA/BIOTEC to determine the amount of pesticides and associated substances released to the ambient air. Results obtained with various pest...
H Sageot, M Lamour


Wood preservation by a mixed anhydride treatment: Using simple models of polymeric wood compounds
2008 - IRG/WP 08-30457
Treatment of wood by a mixed aceto/oleic (or other fatty acid residue) anhydride promoted as a safe and environment friendly wood preservation system has been examined quantitatively by liquid phase 13C NMR and solid phase MAS-DEC (proton decoupling) 13C NMR through all its different stages to determine which reactions occur with simple model compounds of the polymeric constituents of wood. The p...
F Lyon, M-F Thevenon, A Pizzi, G Tondi, A Despres, J Gril, S Rigolet


Estimating the age of subterranean termite attack and damage in buildings
2010 - IRG/WP 10-10727
This paper describes physical and experimental methods and a mathematical model (Rotramel 2003) to assist in estimating the age of subterranean termite attack and damage to building structures. Timber, building and termite management industries have to develop new strategies to assess and estimate termite attack and damage in the current climate of global warming. A case study will be used as an e...
J R J French, B M Ahmed Shiday, J Thorpe


Improving our understanding of moisture and other durability-related properties of wood in building envelope performance prediction
2011 - IRG/WP 11-20468
Building science has become an increasingly important field in recent years with rapid changes in construction methods, building materials and consumer expectations. The field has also been brought to prominence by a few large-scale premature building envelope failures in a few regions across the world. Considerable effort has been put into developing hygrothermal models to simulate heat, air, vap...
Jieying Wang, P Morris


Decay initiation in plywood, OSB and solid wood under marginal moisture conditions
2011 - IRG/WP 11-20469
Hygrothermal models are increasingly used as research tools by building scientists and and design tools by designers to simulate heat, air, vapour, and water movements within and through building envelope and even to predict the consequences in terms of mould/decay growth and metal corrosion. This work was designed to generate data on decay initiation under marginal moisture conditions to support...
Jieying Wang, P Morris


Weather degradation of thin wood samples
2016 - IRG/WP 16-20578
Untreated wooden surfaces degrade when exposed to varying doses of natural weathering. In this study, thin wood samples were studied for weathering effects with the aim of modeling the degradation utilizing Near-infrared hyperspectral imaging. Several sets of samples were exposed outdoors for time intervals from 0 to 21 days, and one set of samples was exposed to UV-radiation in a laboratory chamb...
I Burud, K A Smeland, K Hovde Liland, T K Thiis, J Sandak, A Sandak, L Ross Gobakken


Development of decay hazard maps based on decay prediction models
2016 - IRG/WP 16-20588
Durability plays a very central role in timber engineering, especially when working with wood in use class 3 and above where the risk of decay is high. As one of the primary decay influencing factors, the external condition, i.e. the local climate, is often graded by some type of climate index value. Predominately, climate indices are based on a direct relationship between weather data and decay. ...
J Niklewski, E Frühwald Hansson, C Brischke, D Kavurmaci


Studying fungal growth using automated image analysis and computer simulations
2016 - IRG/WP 16-20590
Wooden materials are prone to fungal attack resulting in damage and economic losses. Therefore many efforts have been made to understand the degradation of wood and to avoid the adverse effect of fungi. Even though the extent of degradation of a material is inversely proportional to the extension of the fungi attacking it, most researchers focus mainly on the former, leaving the study of the latte...
G Vidal-Diez de Ulzurrun, J M Baetens, J Van den Bulcke, B De Baets


Natural durability, ethanol-toluene extractives and phenol content prediction of eight wood species from Madagascar using NIRS multispecific models
2018 - IRG/WP 18-10926
Madagascar has nearly 4000 species of trees and shrubs, but wood properties of only 200 species have been studied. Some properties, such as the natural durability or chemical composition are of importance for adequate and optimal use of these timber species. Since durability tests take long time and chemical analyzes can be very expensive, alternative methods such as near infrared spectroscopy (NI...
A R Razafimahatratra, H Rakotovololonalimanana, M-F Thévenon, C Belloncle, G Chaix, T Ramananantoandro


Lab-scale termite damage synthesis using least squares generative adversarial networks
2020 - IRG/WP 20-20674
This manuscript investigated the feasibility of least squares generative adversarial networks (LSGAN) to generate synthetic images of lab-scale termite damage based on AWPA E1 standard, to push machine-learning forward into wood science field and to ameliorate the lack of a termite damage dataset. We leveraged LSGAN to learn the distribution of 203 uniquely termite damaged samples from previous ex...
D J V Lopes