IRG Documents Database and Compendium


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Activities of moulds on wood as a function of relative humidity during desorption and absorption processes
2013 - IRG/WP 13-10794
Three different types of indoor moulds: Penicillium brevicompactum, primary colonizer; Alternaria tenuissima, secondary colonizer and Trichoderma harzianum, tertiary colonizer, grown on wood were measured for their activities under different relative humidity levels. The activities were measured by isothermal calorimetry. The activities of the moulds changed with the change of the relative humidit...
Yujing Li, L Wadsö


The activity of a wood-decaying fungus during drying and rewetting cycles measured by isothermal calorimetry
2013 - IRG/WP 13-20526
Wood decaying fungi are an essential part of any ecosystems as they are the main decomposers of cellulose and lignin-containing materials. But as wood is a common building material the risk for decay fungi growth and subsequent degradation of our construction material is a concern. There are important physiological aspects of the growth and activity of decay fungi that are unknown today, and witho...
S Johansson, L Wadsö, A Pilgård, G Alfredsen


Moisture distribution in glulam beams with natural cracks observed with CT Scanning before and after rain
2013 - IRG/WP 13-20534
The way cracks in outdoor wooden constructions affect durability is an interesting topic, since a certain amount of cracks can always be found naturally in wood and glued laminated wood. The question in this was, can cracks lead water into the wood and thereby increase the risk for decay and reduce strength and service life. Moisture balance, i.e., water absorption and water distribution were stud...
K Sandberg


CT scanning of decay in creosoted poles for overhead lines
2013 - IRG/WP 13-30634
Creosote-treated poles have been examined by means of CT scanning in order to investigate the nature of soft spots that have been found more frequently during the last five years in Sweden. CT scanning provides a very good picture of the interior of the poles and decay can easily be detected. It was concluded that the soft spots in most cases were caused by decay which in turn had to do with extre...
C-J Johansson, A Clang, I Johansson, G Berggren


Utilization of TG-DSC to study thermal degradation of beech and silver fir
2013 - IRG/WP 13-40628
Thermal treatment of wood is, besides other wood modification system, used to improve the decay resistance and dimensional stability. However, the chemical changes that are caused by treatment process are still difficult to quantify, characterize and control. Previous studies have shown that thermodesorption coupled to GC-MS is an attractive tool to characterize and quantify products formed during...
K Candelier, A Treu, J Dibdiakova, E Larnøy, A Petrissans, S Dumarçay, M Pétrissans, P Gérardin


Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy as a tool for examining chemical changes in wood cell walls due to enzymatic activity
2014 - IRG/WP 14-20556
As development of techniques for examining enzymatic activity on solid, complex biological materials, is considered to be an important factor in further development of enzyme applications and for understanding the decay of plant materials, this study explores applicability of Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscope (STXM) for determining chemical changes in enzymatically treated samples at the cell...
D Jeremic, R Goacher, R Yan, C Karunakaran, E R Master


Modern Instrumental Methods to Investigate the Mechanism of Biological Decay in Wood Plastic Composites
2014 - IRG/WP 14-40674
Various instrumental techniques were used to study the fungal decay process in wood plastic composite (WPC) boards. Commercial boards exposed near Hilo, Hawaii (HI) for eight years in both sun and shadow locations were inspected and tested periodically. After eight years of exposure, both boards were evaluated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), while a selected area of the board exposed in sh...
G Sun, R Ibach, M Gnatowski, J Glaeser, M Leung, J Haight


Experiences with an industrial system for controlled thermal wood modification in pressurized unsaturated steam
2014 - IRG/WP 14-40678
Thermal wood modification in pressurized reactors has a long history, but these processes are to date industrially scarcely used, because of the relatively complicated process equipment, compared to the more common high-temperature processes in kilns at atmospheric pressure. However, based on our practical experience with the FirmoLin® process, supported by recent scientific findings, it is foun...
W Willems


Non-destructive monitoring of structure and moisture dynamics of plywood exposed outdoors to improve service life prediction and fit-for-purpose design
2015 - IRG/WP 15-20570
Plywood is an important construction material yet prone to water uptake, which can decrease strength and increase decay risk. To predict service life and improve fit-for-purpose design, it is crucial to understand the moisture behavior and structural changes of plywood. In this research, several plywood specimens were exposed outdoors for approximately one year. During this period, the moisture di...
W Li, J Van den Bulcke, I De Windt, M Dierick, J Van Acker


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


Investigation of enzymatic effect on pit membranes by light and scanning electron microscopy
2016 - IRG/WP 16-40721
Spruce wood, one of the refractory wood species has pit membranes, which has an influence on the permeability of wood providing liquid flow between the wood cells. However, these membranes tend to close under the fiber saturated point (FSD), which makes impregnation more difficult. In this study spruce sapwood samples were treated with two different commercial enzymes to improve the permeability o...
S Durmaz, Ü C Yildiz, M Öztürk, B Serdar


The Protective Effect of Different Tree Bark Extractives against Decay Fungi
2017 - IRG/WP 17-30707
There are various modification methods which increase the resistance of wooden materials. Due to recent environmental regulations, there is a need for new and environmentally-friendly wood preservatives. In this study, six different tree bark extractives were evaluated for their wood resistance against fungal degradation. For this purpose, the white rot fungi (Tramates versicolour) and brown rot f...
Ö Özgenç, S Durmaz


Wood-Plastic Composites preservation against fire: Nanofillers as fire retardant alternative
2018 - IRG/WP 18-40843
The purpose of this study is to improve fire resistance of Wood-Plastic Composites (WPCs) by adding inorganic nanofillers. Indeed, the main components of WPC, namely wood and polymer are both flammable materials despite the fact that WPCs are used in the field of construction. The effect of nanofillers on fire retardancy of Wood-High density polyethylene Composites was studied with three nanofille...
D Ben Ammar, A Koubaa, S Migneault, H Bouafif


Promoting Commercially Available Epoxy Resins for Non-biocidal Wood Preservation
2019 - IRG/WP 19-40877
Commercially available epoxy and polyamine resins were evaluated with the aim of developing new non-biocidal wood preservation treatments. A simple method allowing the impregnation of wood by vacuum double impregnation followed by a curing process was developed for two reference species, beech Fagus sylvatica and Scots pine Pinus sylvestris. The tested products were evaluated for their ability to ...
P Poveda, M Mubarok, S Dumarcay, M Montibus, I Le Bayon, M Kutnik, P Gerardin, F Simon


Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) – a potential tool for improved utilisation of the natural durability of Scots pine for solid wood products
2019 - IRG/WP 19-50358
The natural durability of sapwood of most species is generally low, while heartwood can be more resistant to biodeterioration. For the sawmill industry various lumber products require certain diameters and lengths of the logs in addition to requirements for wood properties. When utilising the heartwood, it is therefore important to acquire information already in the forest about which trees that c...
P-O Flaete


PlasmaSolution – Curing of coating formulations using non-thermal plasmas
2020 - IRG/WP 20-40904
Coatings are an important part of wood protection, especially for outdoor applications. In order to provide a good protection, protective coatings need to exhibit good adhesion, mechanical resistance, and weathering resistance. Plasma pre-treatments are an established method to increase the performance of existing coatings including those on wood and wood-based substrates. Moreover, plasma deposit...
S Dahle, J Žigon, M Petrič


Green approach in wood mineralization for improvement of fire properties
2022 - IRG/WP 22-30769
Various treatments have been developed in order to improve fire properties of wood. Because the use of some flame retardants can release toxic compounds in the event of a fire, leading to poisoning or even death of people from smoke inhalation, the use of no-toxic and more ecologically acceptable flame retardants is preferable. Mineralization of wood with the incorporation of carbonates has proven...
A Pondelak, R Repič, L Škrlep, N Knez, F Knez, A S Škapin


Environmentally Friendly Wood Modification based on Tannin-Furfuryl alcohol - Effect on stabilisation, mechanical properties and decay durability
2022 - IRG/WP 22-40929
Furfurylation is a well-known wood modification technology. This paper studied the effect of tannin addition on the wood furfurylation. Three kinds of dicarboxylic acids, adipic acid, succinic acid, and tartaric acid, as well as glyoxal as a comparing agent, were used to catalyse the polymerisation of furanic or tannin-furanic solutions during wood modification. Impregnation of furanic or tannin-f...
M Mubarok, E Azadeh, F O Akong, S Dumarçay, A Pizzi, C Charbonnier-Gérardin, P Gérardin


The impact of pre-drying on treatment level variations of esterified solid wood analysed by X-ray densitometry
2023 - IRG/WP 23-40977
Wood modification requires homogenous treatment levels within the wood matrix to prevent insufficiently treated areas being subject to biodeterioration. Esterification of wood by citric acid and sorbitol can show differences in density caused by uneven chemical distribution during the curing phase and can be detected by x-ray densitometry. This study used density profiling to investigate the influ...
A Treu, S O Amiandamhem, E Larnoy


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