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Whole-of-house protection from subterranean termite attack and damage after four years of field exposure
2008 - IRG/WP 08-10665
This study reports the condition of the whole-of-house termite protection test in tropical Australia after four years. The study was designed to provide maximum protection to whole-of-house timbers in a natural situation posing the highest hazard from subterranean termite populations. The houses were constructed either on concrete slabs or suspended floors using untreated and treated timber fram...
B M Ahmed (Shiday), J R J French, S R Przewloka, P Vinden, J Hann, C Y Adam


Termite resistance of DMDHEU-treated wood
2008 - IRG/WP 08-40401
Chemical wood modification with dimethyloldihydroxy-ethyleneurea (DMDHEU) or its derivatives are applicable to both solid lumber and wood-based composites. Advantages of DMDHEU-based modification are an increase of dimensional stability and high durability against white, brown and soft rot fungi. At higher chemical loadings, the hardness of the wood is considerably increased. Due to the durabil...
H Militz, S Schaffert, B C Peters, C J Fitzgerald


Effectiveness of a superficial treatment of bifenthrin to protect softwood framing from damage by subterranean and drywood termites in Indonesia
2009 - IRG/WP 09-40443
Various experimental testing procedures were undertaken in Indonesia to determine the effectiveness of a superficial (envelope) treatment of bifenthrin to protect softwood framing from damage by two species of subterranean termite (Macrotermes gilvus and Coptotermes curvignathus) and one species of drywood termite (Cryptotermes cynocephalus). Lengths of framing (Pinus radiata sapwood) were commerc...
P Sukartana, J W Creffield, A Ismanto, N E Lelana


Termite resistance of some modified wood species
2009 - IRG/WP 09-40449
During the last few decades, researchers worldwide have investigated and developed new treatment techniques to improve intrinsic wood properties. Some of these techniques were introduced to the market recently and are gaining in importance.. Various wood properties of these new materials have been studied intensively. These include physical-mechanical properties (dimensional stability, moisture ...
H Militz, B C Peters, C J Fitzgerald


Termite Resistant Properties of Wood and Natural Fiber Plastic Composites - AWPA E1 Test Data
2009 - IRG/WP 09-40466
This paper deals with resistance properties of wood plastic composites against Formosan Subterranean Termites (FSTs) based on the AWPA E1 test standard. Sixteen laboratory WPC formulations, four WPC commercial materials, and southern pine (Pinus sp.) wood control were tested for termite mortality, sample weight loss, and sample damage rating. The results show that FSTs did attack WPC products in ...
Q Wu, T Shupe, J Curole, K Ragon, M Voitier, M Freeman, D Ring


The invasion channels of damage fungi in bamboo lumber
2010 - IRG/WP 10-10712
The micro-agents on bamboo lumber damage are mould, stain, and decay fungi. This research is about invasion channels of bamboo lumber damage fungi by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that the conidia of mould were only accumulated on the surface of bamboo and no hyphae detected in bamboo vascular bundle, and hyphae of stain penetrated into bamboo and grew in metaxylem vessel...
Xingxia Ma, Mingliang Jiang, Daochun Qin


Control of Reticulitermes grassei as a pest in Spain: Termite distribution in an urban area
2010 - IRG/WP 10-10719
The European subterranean termite Reticulitermes grassei Clément, 1978, has been an important pest in Palenciana, a locality in the southern province of Cordoba (Spain) for a long time. The different stages of the pest elimination process have been studied and are presented here. Firstly, a through inspection of all town dwellings was conducted in order to determine a theoretical affected area of...
E Alcaide, R Molero, J Diz, M Gaju


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


Diagnosis of failures in wood beams from historical house in Banská Štiavnica – Relations between ultrasonic measurements and bending properties
2010 - IRG/WP 10-20437
Various degrees of rot and other damages in ceiling beams with dimensions of 6500-8800 x 160-200 x 240-310 mm (length x height x width) situated in one historical bourgeois house in the UNESCO town Banská Štiavnica, Slovakia were determined visually and by the PUNDIT-plus ultrasonic device. Subsequently, for seventeen of the most bio-damaged fir (Abies alba Mill.) beams chosen for exchange were ...
L Reinprecht, M Pánek


Service life prediction of wooden components – Part 1: Determination of dose-response functions for above ground decay
2010 - IRG/WP 10-20439
Scots pine sapwood (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Douglas fir heartwood (Pseudotsuga menziesii Franco) specimens were exposed in double layer field trials at 24 different European test sites under different exposure conditions (in total 28 test sets). The material climate in terms of wood moisture content (MC) and wood temperature was automatically recorded over a period of up to eight years and compar...
C Brischke, A O Rapp


Non-destructive evaluation of termite and decay damaged to timber-in- service
2010 - IRG/WP 10-20451
A leading joint research project was financed by the ARC, engaging some of the leading Universities in Australia, to look at field techniques to determine if timber-in-service is infested with termites and decay fungi after which microwave technology will be employed to eliminate the termites and/or decay in-situ. The next step will be to quantify the damage caused on the sectional dimensions of t...
C Adam, B M Ahmed Shiday, G Brodie


Decay hazard mapping for Europe
2011 - IRG/WP 11-20463
In this study, two different dose-response models for above-ground decay as well as a model transferring macro climate data to wood climate data are presented. The models base on data from field trials, which had been conducted at 28 European test sites, and were used to calculate the relative risk for decay caused by climate variability in Europe. The two dose-response models give coherent result...
C Brischke, E Frühwald Hansson, D Kavurmaci, S Thelandersson


Service life prediction of wooden components - Part 3: Approaching a comprehensive test methodology
2011 - IRG/WP 11-20464
This paper is the third in a series on 'service life prediction' of wooden components and should be considered as a discussion paper. The authors tried to analyze the topic with a look from a distance and comment sometimes with a smile on the current controversial discussion about SLP issues. Nevertheless, the viewpoints of different groups, such as natural scientists, engineers, approva...
C Brischke, C R Welzbacher, L Meyer, T Bornemann, P Larsson Brelid, A Pilgård, E Frühwald-Hansson, M Westin, A O Rapp, S Thelandersson, J Jermer


A comparison of the resistance of pyrethroid-treated wood to damage by Coptotermes acinaciformis in Australia and C. formosanus in China and the USA
2014 - IRG/WP 14-10830
Field trials, using a single aboveground method of exposure, were used to assess a range of retentions of two pyrethroids (bifenthrin and permethrin) in Pinus radiata D. Don sapwood against two species of Coptotermes in three countries to provide directly comparable results. Coptotermes acinaciformis (Froggatt) in Australia, C. formosanus Shiraki in China and C. formosanus in the USA consumed simi...
J Creffield, M Lenz, D Scown, T Evans, Junhong Zhong, B Kard, J Hague, K Brown, E Freytag, J Curole, R Smith, T Shupe


Statistical analysis of 40 years of preservative in-ground stake testing in Australia
2014 - IRG/WP 14-20552
Wood is widely recognized as a valuable material, yet the natural durability of some wood species limits its use for certain outdoor purposes. For decades, a wide range of methods and chemicals have been developed to increase the resistance of wood against degrading microorganisms and termites. Preservative treatment has a long and widespread tradition in wood protection. Proper testing of the eff...
J Van den Bulcke, L J Cookson, I De Windt, W Li, J Van Acker


The susceptibility of oriented structural straw board (OSSB) to damage by subterranean wood-destroying and grass-feeding termites in Australia
2014 - IRG/WP 14-40683
The field performance of untreated oriented structural straw board (OSSB) made from wheat straw was evaluated against two economically important Australian species of wood destroying subterranean termite, Coptotermes acinaciformis and Mastotermes darwiniensis, and two Australian species of grass-feeding subterranean termite, Amitermes meridionalis and Nasutitermes triodiae. Oriented strand board (...
J Hague, D Scown, J Creffield, M Neal


Prevention of fungal damage of oil and date palm wood by organic acids
2017 - IRG/WP 17-10877
Felled palm trunks are susceptible to fungi as long as their moisture content is above fibre saturation. During this period, palm wood has to be protected against mould and rot fungi. Environmental-friendly organic acids are suitable. Small samples of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) and date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) wood were treated with 1 to 10% solutions of acetic acid and propionic acid, respec...
M Bahmani, O Schmidt


Using X-ray micro-CT to evaluate density loss in anobiid infested wood
2019 - IRG/WP 19-10956
Considering the relevance of wood borers in construction, the present study had as main objective the evaluation of the impact of anobiid damage on timber elements by establishing an empirical correlation between lost material percentage (LM%, consumed by beetles) and apparent density (original – OTD and residual – RTD). Since the beetles’ attack produces a diffuse damage with a set of tunne...
J L Parracha, M F Pereira, A Maurício, P Faria, L Nunes


Validation by micro-computed tomography of an assessment method to measure the residual strength of anobiids infested timber
2019 - IRG/WP 19-20650
In this article a quantitative correlation study of pine timber structural elements, which have been subject to attack by anobiids, is presented. The main objective of the study was to establish a valid empirical correlation between the lost material percentage (consumed by beetles) and original/residual apparent density. Since the beetles’ attack produces a diffuse damage with a set of tunnels ...
J L Parracha, M F Pereira, A Maurício, P Faria, L Nunes


Effect of damage to polyurea coatings on metal losses from ammoniacal copper zinc arsenate treated Douglas-fir pile sections
2019 - IRG/WP 19-40867
Metal-based preservatives remain the most widely used treatments for protecting wood in soil or water contact. While these treatments are highly effective, one drawback is a tendency for small amounts of metal to migrate into the surrounding environment. The greatest risk in this regard is copper because many organisms are highly sensitive to this metal. While post treatment practices can reduce ...
M J Konkler, J J Morrell


Fungal damages in Norwegian massive timber elements – causes and measures
2019 - IRG/WP 19-40879
Massive wood elements are relatively new in Norway but the use is growing quickly, primarily the use of cross-laminated timber (CLT). Moisture performance of massive timber elements has been examined by some researchers, but more knowledge is needed. There is uncertainty regarding the need for vapour barriers or retarders in roof assemblies, and for practical reasons buildings are rarely assembled...
M S Austigard, J Mattsson


Experimental study on compressive strength performance of cross laminated timber with biodeterioration damage
2019 - IRG/WP 19-40883
The mass timber construction has attracted attention around the world. The reasons are due to the environmental impacts and the potential of the strength performance and quantity of the wood. Nowadays, CLT is one of the most important materials for the timber constructions. If we use CLT as a building material, we should consider the biodegradation risk for long time use. From an estimation of fut...
T Mori, Y Otsubo, R Inoue, M Ikeda, K Kambara, W Ohmura


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


Estimation of residual compressive strength on cross laminated timber with biodeterioration damage
2021 - IRG/WP 21-40918
CLT is susceptible to biodeterioration such as fungal decay and termite attack during long-term use for buildings. It is necessary to know the residual strength performance of biodegraded CLT for estimating future performance and aging of CLT. In this study, compression tests of CLT damaged by brown rot fungi and termites were conducted to clarify the relationship between residual strength and mas...
R Inoue, T Mori, K Kambara, W Ohmura


Joints design considerations in indoor high humidity conditions
2022 - IRG/WP 22-40950
In recent years, a number of cases of degradation by wood destroying fungi have been detected in covered timber structures such as pools, wineries, bathrooms, etc. – in fact, any building where indoor air may reach high humidity values during certain periods of time. The origin of this kind of decay was not related to water leaks, but to the condensation of the water vapor over the steel connec...
A Lozano, D Lorenzo, M Alonso, F Álvarez, J E Martínez


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