IRG Documents Database and Compendium


Search and Download IRG Documents:



Between and , sort by


Displaying your search results

Your search resulted in 44 documents. Displaying 25 entries per page.


Effect of an antioxidant on the efficacy of organic wood preservatives in an accelerated soil contact decay test
2012 - IRG/WP 12-30583
In comparison to inorganic wood preservatives, organic biocides in transient carriers are considerably less effective when the treated wood is exposed to soil contact. Various oils are used in some formulations with pentachlorophenol to improve the efficacy. However, use of these oils imparts unacceptable properties to products used in residential applications. Consequently, there is a need to de...
D D Nicholas, J Shi, T P Schultz, L Sites


Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of nano cupric oxide (CuO) modified aqueous phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin
2014 - IRG/WP 14-40654
Phenol formaldehyde (PF) resins, modified by nano CuO incorporating alkane surfactant and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) 17-99, were analyzed by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The mechanical properties of its bonded plywood including tensile strength, modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE) and shear strength under five test conditions were evaluated. Results indicated that the incorpor...
Wei Gao, Guanben Du


Indentation and pendulum hardness tests: two convenient assessment methods of the performance of exterior wood coatings
2015 - IRG/WP 15-40689
Developing formulations of exterior wood coatings with long service life is a big challenge. For many years in Europe the performances have been mainly evaluated through weathering tests (within the EN 927 series) followed by visual assessment (blistering, flaking, mould growth, chalking and cracking), colour and gloss measurements, and adhesion tests. Very recently the importance of the mechanica...
L Malassenet, L Podgorski, M Truskaller, G Grüll


Increasing the hardness of wood-composite panels by nanosilver
2016 - IRG/WP 16-40715
Effect of silver nanoparticles on hardness in medium-density fiberboard (MDF) was studied here. A 400 ppm aqueous nanosilver suspension was used at three consumption levels of 100, 150, and 200 mL/kg, based on the dry weight of wood fibers; the results were then compared with the control panels. The size range of silver nanoparticles was 30-80 nm. Composite mats were hot-pressed for 6, 8, and 10 m...
H R Taghiyari, J Norton, K Heidarhaee


Dynamic mechanical analysis of viscoelastic properties of heat treated glycerol-impregnation poplar wood
2016 - IRG/WP 16-40732
The viscoelastic properties of glycerol-impregnated poplar wood after heat treatments at various temperatures were examined by dynamic-mechanical analysis. The spectra of storage modulus (E’) and loss tangent (tgδ) in the frequency at 10 Hz were measured at the temperature range from -100 to 300℃. Compared to no peak in E’ spectra and two relaxation processes in tanδ spectra of...
Li Yan


Variation in coating hardness during the EN 927-6 weathering test: influence of pigmentation
2016 - IRG/WP 16-40739
The objective of the SERVOWOOD project is to develop and establish European Standards that will facilitate the prediction of service life for exterior wood coatings. Within this project an extensive round robin exercise has been carried out by five partners to establish the repeatability and reproducibility of the EN 927-6 artificial weathering test. This round robin included the exposure of the I...
L Podgorski, L Malassenet, C Reynaud


The sorption behaviour of wood
2017 - IRG/WP 17-20605
The use of dynamic vapour sorption to determine the sorption properties of wood has become an increasingly popular technique. The method has many advantages when compared with many other gravimetric methods. However, it is necessary to set an equilibrium condition in order to obtain data for an isotherm in a reasonable amount of time. An important recent finding has been that multiple sorption cyc...
C Hill


Weathering protection of European hardwoods through double modification
2017 - IRG/WP 17-30715
Beech and poplar were thermally modified, treated with melamine resin and both treatments were combined. The weathering performance (cracks and general appearance) of modified beech and poplar was assessed in natural weathering and correlated to material properties such as work in bending (WB) and Brinell hardness. In addition, the equilibrium moisture content after exposure of 12 months and subse...
G Behr, A Gellerich, S Bollmus, H Militz


Testing the durability of timber products above ground using the block-test method – A critical review
2018 - IRG/WP 18-20637
The block-test method for testing the durability of wood and wood products above ground is reviewed critically with respect to practical aspects, moisture loads, corresponding decay development, and the possibilities of assessing test specimens by determining the dynamic modulus of elasticity (MOEdyn) of wood. In total, 36 blocks representing different modifications of the original set-up and a wi...
C Brischke, A Gellerich, H Militz


Gloss and hardness variations as early indicators of wood coating failure during weathering tests
2019 - IRG/WP 19-40866
The objective was to track early changes which ultimately will lead to coating failure when exposed to artificial weathering. Two different coatings (one waterborne acrylic paint and one solventborne alkyd stain) were exposed to artificial weathering for 2016 hours according to EN 927-6. Every 168 hours, samples were removed from the artificial weathering device for assessment (general appearance,...
L Podgorski


Yellow birch fire-protection using polyelectrolytes complexes
2020 - IRG/WP 20-30755
Fire protection has been a major challenge in wood construction for many years. The demand for high-performance, environmentally friendly treatments respecting the physical and chemical characteristics of the material has been accentuated in recent years. Halogenated fire-retardant (FR) compounds were commonly used from the 70’s for their low-cost and high efficiency. They are able to form radic...
M Soula, F Samyn, S Duquesne, V Landry


Evaluation of chemical densification of three hardwood species through in-situ electron beam polymerization
2020 - IRG/WP 20-40893
Hardwoods are the most suitable species for wood flooring for their appearance as well as their hardness. Yet, improving hardness can provide substantial benefit for the wood flooring market. Chemical densification of wood and in-situ polymerization through electron beam technology was chosen to increase hardness of three hardwoods (Yellow birch (YB) (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.), Sugar maple (SM...
J Triquet, P Blanchet, V Landry


Impact of fungal decay on the bending properties of wood
2020 - IRG/WP 20-20671
Wood used outdoors is generally prone to fungal degradation, and its impact on the structural integrity of wood is an immanent factor for service life planning with timber. Wood decayed to very small mass losses can suffer from a significant reduction in mechanical strength and elastic properties. Hence, the latter are preferred indicators to detect decay in wood durability studies. Numerous previ...
S Bollmus, P B van Niekerk, C Brischke


Thermal spray coatings to protect wood from termites
2020 - IRG/WP 20-40905
Protecting buildings and construction materials against subterranean termites in Europe relies on combined physical and chemical approaches. Buildings can be protected by physical or physico-chemical barriers such as gravel aggregates, steel mesh or plastic films impregnated with insecticides. Wood and wood-based materials are traditionally protected by insecticides applied on the surface or deepl...
L Podgorski, H Myalska, A Dinoirjean, M Kutnik


Effect of furfurylation treatment on the performance of three Canadian wood species
2022 - IRG/WP 22-40925
The demand for exterior wood siding is stagnating in North America, partly due to the perception of consumers, architects and contractors regarding their durability and maintenance. Improving attributes such as the dimensional stability of wood is therefore necessary to make it more attractive to consumers. This project aims to assess the performance of Canadian species; white spruce (Picea glauca...
G Boivin, D Schorr


Surface chemical wood densification through in situ electron beam polymerization: description and dose study
2022 - IRG/WP 22-40933
Traditional wood chemical densification processes can be used to improve wood mechanical properties by increasing density of the material throughout its thickness. While mechanical surface densification has heavily been investigated, surface treatments involving impregnation of monomers remain unexplored. This study describes a new material, surface densified through lateral impregnation of acryla...
J Triquet, P Blanchet, V Landry


Moisture sorption behaviour of poplar and thermally modified poplar using dynamic vapour sorption (DVS)
2022 - IRG/WP 22-40947
The moisture sorption behaviour of wood has a critical impact on service life. In Europe, softwood is mostly used to manufacture engineered wood products such as cross-laminated timber (CLT) or glue-laminated timber (GLT or glulam). Yet fast-growing and widespread tree species such as hybrid poplar with or without modification, have potential to meet the increasing demand. This study shows the moi...
X Jiang, J Van den Bulcke, L De Boever, M Minsart, A Mignon, J Van Acker


Influence of weathering on the mechanical properties and performance of exterior wood coatings
2022 - IRG/WP 22-40951
Three commercial coatings were exposed to artificial (EN 927-6) and natural weathering (EN 927-3) on wood samples. Cracking was visually assessed as well as Persoz hardness. Free films of the same coatings were also exposed to the same weathering tests before their tensile properties were measured. Results show that artificial and natural weathering modified the overall mechanical properties of wo...
L Podgorski, J-D Lanvin


Assessing changes in hardness of furfurylated wood on a nano-scale to mimic levels experienced by the marine wood-boring crustacean, Limnoria
2023 - IRG/WP 23-11016
Wood-boring crustaceans and bivalves can cause severe damage to wooden structures in the marine environment, warranting the need for novel protection systems, such as chemical modifications. Furfurylation increases mechanical properties and resistance of timber species that would usually be susceptible to biodegradation by these borers, such as pine. In rapid laboratory and field testing, furfuryl...
L Martin, J Zekonyte, S Lande, M Westin, S Cragg


Previous Page