Beech wood is amongst the most important wood species in Slovenia. The EU standard EN 350-2 classifies beech wood into the group of the least durable wood species. This is one of the most important reasons which limit the use of beech wood in outdoor applications. The majority of the data about beech wood durability is a result of laboratory tests as there were limited numbers of field tests performed. As the service life of wood significantly depends on the local climate conditions, this data cannot be simply copied from other countries. Therefore, field tests have been running at the field test site of the Department of Wood Science and Technology for several years now to determine comprehensive performance of most important Slovenian wood species including beech wood. Majority of the tests are performed in use class 3 applications (above ground, not covered). The first signs of decay on beech wood are visible after few months of exposure. Afterwards the decay proceeds and the samples are degraded between 4 and 6 years of exposure. The most important reasons for insufficient outdoor performance of beech wood are lack of biologically active extractives and low water exclusion efficacy. In order to elucidate this phenomenon moisture content was continuously monitored for 15 months. We believe that the field tests performed will lead us to the data which will enable better understanding of the phenomena of durability and improve durability of beech wood with state of the art modification solutions.
COBISS.SI-ID: 2473865
Thermal modification of wood has been commercially available for almost twenty years but the complete mechanism of improved durability is still not completely understood. It is known that the temperature and duration of the modification influences the properties of the final products. There are several potential reasons for the increased durability of the modified wood. In recent research in particular, water exclusion efficiency has been identified as one of the key mechanisms. In order to elucidate this presumption, specimens made of Norway spruce heartwood were thermally modified at 6 different temperatures (160 °C, 180 °C, 190 °C, 200 °C, 210 °C and 230 °C) for three hours according to the Silvapro procedure. Control specimens were left unmodified. Three sets of tests were performed: (a) samples were soaked in water for 4 days and then positioned on load cells and allowed to dry until a constant mass was achieved; (b) short term water uptake was determined with a tensiometer and (c) wood-water interactions were verified using constant gravimetric moisture measurement during outdoor exposure. As expected, the degree of modification was reflected in the moisture content of the wood during testing. Short and medium term water uptakes correlated quite well with the performance of wood in outdoor applications. On the other hand, long term tensiometer measurements were not in line with either short term water uptake or outdoor measurements.
COBISS.SI-ID: 2479241
Comprehensive approaches to predict performance of wood products are requested by international standards and the first attempts have been made in the frame of European research projects. However, there is still an immanent need for a methodology to implement the durability and moisture performance of wood in a performance classification system. The aim of this study was therefore to establish an approach to predict service life of wood above ground taking into account the combined effect of wetting ability and durability data. A comprehensive data set was obtained from laboratory durability tests and still ongoing field trials in Norway with 21 different wood species. Supplementary, four different wetting ability tests were performed with the same material. Based on a dose-response concept decay rates for specimens exposed above ground were predicted on the base of various indicating factors. A model was developed and optimised taking into account the resistance of wood against soft, white and brown rot as well as relevant types of water uptake and release. The model was verified using above ground field test data from different test sites. The model was found to be fairly reliable and it has the advantage to get implemented into existing engineering design guidelines. The approach at hand might be furthermore used for implementing wetting ability data into performance classification as requested by European standardisation bodies.
COBISS.SI-ID: 2403465