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Treatment of wood with formaldehyde. Acid catalysis of the reaction between formaldehyde and wood
1980 - IRG/WP 3146
Formaldehyde reacts with the free OH-groups in wood forming cross-linking bonds. The reaction can be brought about without any catalyst but in that case the activation energy is very high and high temperatures and long reaction times are needed. Normally, the reaction is catalysed by different acids. Acid catalysts, however, tend to degrade the cellulose and the wood matrix causing reduction in th...
T Vihavainen, K Piispanen, P Mansikkamäki


Microscopical analysis of formaldehyde-acid modified wood
1981 - IRG/WP 3182
Cross-linking of wood with gaseous formaldehyde improves its hygroscopic and dimensional behaviour, and its resistance against micro-organisms. However, formaldehyde cross-linking reactions take place only in the presence of an acid catalyst, which results in losses in mechanical By optimization of a formaldehyde-sulfur dioxide vapour phase process the reaction conditions were established to limit...
M Stevens, N Parameswaran


Investigation on different variation factors in the results of mycological test and means to reduce and avoid them
1986 - IRG/WP 2264
In order to clarify the causes of the dispersion observed in the results obtained with mycological tests made in accordance with standard EN-113, different factors assumed to be sources of the variations were studied. These included the moisture content of the test samples during the test, the influence of certain technological properties of the wood, the virulence of the fungus strains, the metho...
D Dirol


Decay and mold resistance of borate modified oriented strandboard
2003 - IRG/WP 03-40260
Decay and mold resistance of zinc borate (ZB) and calcium borate (CB) modified oriented strandboard (OSB) from southern mixed hardwoods and yellow pine was investigated in this study. Tests were done with brown rot, Gloeophyllum trabeum, and white-rot, Trametes versicolar, fungi for 8 and 12 weeks, respectively. Wood species and fungus type had significant influence on the decay resistance. Decay...
Q Wu, S Lee, J P Jones


The use of modulus of rupture and modulus of elasticity in natural durability testing
1997 - IRG/WP 97-20117
Losses in weight, losses in bending strength and changes in elastic behaviour were assessed in a fungus cellar test with beech wood stakes (Fagus sylvatica). Results were gained after 8, 12, 16 and 20 weeks resp . The outcomes show, that the non-durable species beech is very rapidly attacked by fungi and loses up to 60% of its initial bending strength even within the first 8 weeks. Earlier researc...
L Machek, H Militz, W Gard


Improvement of wood decay resistance by tannin impregnation
1991 - IRG/WP 2380
The fungical effect of tannins is appraised after exposure of treated woods samples to wood rotting fungi. A screening-test is carried out with several solutions containing extracts of two kinds of tannins; a condensed tannin derived from Quebracho heartwood (Schinopsis sp.) and a hydrolyzable one extracted from chestnut heartwood (Castanea sativa Mill). If a fungicidal action was indeed found it ...
D Dirol, A Scalbert


Accelerated decay tests to investigate postulated effects of tannins on CCA efficacy in wood
1988 - IRG/WP 3497
Five groups of blocks (10 x 10 x 5 mm³) viz., Pinus patula, Pinus patula impregnated to 4% (w/w) tannin; Eucalyptus grandis, Eucalyptus grandis with natural tannins extracted; and extracted Eucalyptus grandis with tannins returned as above; were prepared. Blocks from each group were then treated to 0, 5, 10 and 15 kg/m³ CCA and challenged in four 15-week decay tests, viz., soil burial, and expos...
U L Scherer, A A W Baecker


Laboratory tests on artificial weathering of Quercus rubra crossties
1986 - IRG/WP 2252
Clear red oak (Quercus rubra) blocks were used to evaluate various types of accelerated aging tests including boil, steaming, and cyclic weathering. It was found that the repeated vacuum and pressure treatment of wood in water, steaming, oven-dry, and freezing appeared to be most effective in reducing the MOE in compression and hardness modules of wood specimens. Red oak crossties which were press...
P Chow, A J Reinschmidt, E J Barenberg, S L Lewis


Chemical evaluation of borate treated pine sapwood attacked by the subterranean termite Coptotermes acinaciformis
1993 - IRG/WP 93-20003
Sapwood of hoop (Araucaria cunninghamii Ait. ex D. Don) and slash (Pinus elliottii Englem.) pines were treated by Vacuum Pressure Impregnation (VPI) to provide test specimens. The concentration of boron was defined by chemical analyses of the timber, in the zone of primary attack by the termite being bioassayed. A common method of definition of preservative retention, weight uptake of preservative...
A R Moffat, B C Peters


The critical moisture and temperature conditions for the growth of some mould fungi and the brown rot fungus Coniophora puteana on wood
1988 - IRG/WP 1369
The growth of some mould fungi on pine and spruce sapwood was studied in 40 different constant moisture and temperature conditions. The temperature range was between +10 and +40°C and the relative humidities varied from 76 to 100% relative humidity (RH). The incubation time was 12 weeks. The mixed mould inoculation used included typical fungi growing on wood: Aspergillus versicolor, Cladosporium ...
H Viitanen, L Paajanen


Hygroscopicity of decayed wood - Implications for weight loss determinations
1996 - IRG/WP 96-20085
Hygroscopicity changes were observed in red maple blocks subjected to brown rot, white rot and soft rot. Brown rot reduced hygroscopicity, soft rot increased hygroscopicity, and white rot showed only a very slight increase in hygroscopicity. The effect of these changes on weight loss tests is a slight overestimation of weight loss for brown rot and a slight underestimation for soft rot and white r...
S E Anagnost, W B Smith


Soft rot decay in acetylated wood. Chemical and anatomical changes in decayed wood
2002 - IRG/WP 02-40231
Acetylated Beech (Fagus sylvatica) and Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) wood were studied in soil beds under laboratory conditions for longer periods. High mass losses and dynamic MOE losses were measured in non-acetylated wood and at lower weight percent gains (WPG). Rapid losses of lignin, holocellulose and ?-cellulose occurred in non-acetylated beech wood and no losses were detected at the highest...
B Mohebby, H Militz


Effect of cyclic change of temperature on fungal growth and mass loss
1994 - IRG/WP 94-10065
For estimating the effect of cycling change of temparature on fungal growth, four Japanese species, sugi (Cryptomeria japonica), hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa), akamatsu (Pinus densiflora) and buna (Fagus crenata), four fungal species, Tyromyces palustris, Gloeophyllum trabeum, Coriolus versicolor, Pycnoporus coccineus, and five temperature conditions, 10, 20, 27, 35°C and cyclic temperature (20°...
K Suzuki, K Okada


The effect of extent and location of decay on strength loss in constructional timber
1994 - IRG/WP 94-30039
Radiata pine heartwood billets, 50 x 100 x 1000 mm³ were end-sealed and treated with copper-chrome-arsenate preservative (NZ Type I) to a range of retentions and penetration patterns. Cross-sections, 10 mm thick, were cut from the centre of each billet and used for determination of preservative distribution, for preservative analysis and for decay tests. The decay test consisted of laying samples...
M E Hedley, H Bier


Accelerated decay tests on DNBP-treated Pinus patula and Eucalyptus grandis
1987 - IRG/WP 3441
Blocks (10 x 10 x 5 mm³) of Pinus patula and Eucalyptus grandis were impregnated to 0, 1.5, 3.0 and 4.5 kg/m³ 2-sec-butyl, 4, 6 dinitrophenol (DNBP). They were monitored microscopically and for weight losses over 16 weeks against monocultures of Coriolus versicolor and Coniophora puteana. Treated ministakes (10 x 10 x 100 mm³) and blocks in soil contact were similarly monitored to determine wei...
L D Abraham, A A W Baecker


Assessment of wood decay in small-scale unsterile soil-bed tests
1997 - IRG/WP 97-20111
This study is concerned with the investigation of wood decay in small-scale unsterile soil-bed tests. Tests were performed with untreated heartwood samples from five hardwood species of different natural durability classes ranging from highly perishable to very resistant. Our results confirmed the critical role of soil moisture content on wood decay. The highest decay rates were observed at moistu...
L Machek, A M Derksen, R Sierra-Alvarez


Steam/hold/APM boron treatment - Treatability trials with green gauged radiata pine
1987 - IRG/WP 3439
Freshly sawn 100 x 50 mm radiata pine was green gauged, steam conditioned and preservative treated with a mixture of borax and boric acid using a modified Alternating Pressure Method (APM) treatment schedule. A 12 hour holding period between steam conditioning and treatment resulted in the necessary moisture loss and moisture re-distribution to facilitate treatment to NZ Timber Preservation Author...
P Vinden


Natural progression of decay in unrestrained, Southern pine sapwood exposed above ground
1995 - IRG/WP 95-20060
In this study, the natural progression of decay is being monitored in 2.4-m (8-ft) lengths of dimension lumber. The 2.4-m lengths are supported without restraint in a horizontal plane approximately 0.75 m above ground in a partially shaded field plot in southern Mississippi. The lumber is 100% sapwood. Prior to installation in the field, each piece was planed to exactly 38 by 89 mm² (1.5 by 3.5 i...
R C De Groot, R J Ross, W Nelson


Application of a novel strength evaluation technique during screening of wood preservatives
1986 - IRG/WP 2262
The effectiveness of CCA and ACA in treated aspen mini stakes tested using a novel bag procedure, with unsterile soil fortified with Chaetomium globosum and Ceratocystis albida, is reported. Good agreement between toxic limits determined using the standard weight loss procedure, and those determined by the strength technique were found, with some indication that the strength loss method is more se...
J N R Ruddick


Evaluation of wood durability by laboratory test - A new equation to predict wood durability
2001 - IRG/WP 01-20230
To estimate the wood durability in a short term, periodical weight determination was carried out in a laboratory test. This test provided the results comparable to those of the field test and the fungus cellar test, but it required much more jobs in comparison to the usual accelerated laboratory test. To save the time and jobbing for this method, a new equation was devised from simple two assumpti...
I Momohara, K Yamamoto


A technique for the rapid assessment of wood surface degradation during weathering
1987 - IRG/WP 2281
Radiate pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) sapwood samples taken from four trees were converted into thin strips 100 x 10 x 0.085 (85 µm) mm³, (longitudinal x radial x tangential) in size and exposed in preweighed hatches to the weather inclined at 45° facing equatorially for 10, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 days. Significant (P < 0.001) weight losses occurred with time over the exposure period. Differen...
P D Evans, D Abbott, S Thein


IUFRO rating system compares favourably to weight loss for soil-bed testing
1990 - IRG/WP 2343
The soil-bed/small stake test is commonly used for rapidly evaluating the performance of new, more environmentally acceptable, preservatives. In a 1.5 year experiment with three copper-based waterborne preservatives, visual evaluation and probing using the IUFRO performance rating scale (0-4) gave very similar toxic thresholds to those derived from measurement of weight loss at the end of the expe...
P I Morris


Soluble nutrient influences on toxicity and permanence of CCA preservatives in wood
1980 - IRG/WP 3144
The influence of soluble carbohydrate and nitrogenous components concentrated at evaporative surfaces of wood on the toxicity and permanence of CCA preservatives has been examined using soil-burial techniques. Nutrient concentrations in lime (Tilia vulgaris Hayne) have been shown to be associated with reduction of toxic limits of preservatives to an extent in which a 100% increase in preservative ...
B King, G M Smith, A Bruce


Treatment of poplar plywood with solvent and water-borne preservatives
1989 - IRG/WP 3538
Poplar as a light hardwood is appropriate for plywood production. Owing to its low natural durability it is generally recommended to preserve it in all conditions where risks of fungal attack may be present. A research project has been carried out on preservative treatments of plywood commodities. Parameters studied were various treatment cycles, three types of plywood, and a number of solvent and...
J Van Acker, M Stevens


Laboratory testing of wood natural durability - In soil-bed assays
1998 - IRG/WP 98-20141
Laboratory methods for assessing wood decay resistance are being investigated in the framework of an ongoing European research project. This paper summarizes the main results obtained for soil-bed tests based on the European prestandard ENV 807-Test 2. The data suggest that this testing methodology is suitable for evaluating the natural durability of timber species in soil-contact under conditions...
R Sierra-Alvarez, I Le Bayon, J K Carey, I Stephan, J Van Acker, M Grinda, G Kleist, H Militz, R-D Peek


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