Performance Testing and Service Life of Wood and Wood-Based Materials

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Wood Science and Forest Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2022) | Viewed by 12134

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Laboratory of Wood Technology (Woodlab), Ghent University, Coupure links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
Interests: wood protection; wood modification; wood anatomy; mechanical testing; physical testing

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Guest Editor
Department of Wood Science and Technology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Interests: decay; wood technology; discoloration; mould; service life; wood
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It was not that long ago that wood was considered by some to be a material of the past, long since replaced by more modern components, such as concrete and steel. Because the use of wood has been so widespread over time, it has something of a bad reputation. In reality, however, wood is a beneficial material in terms of its material properties, its renewable nature, its sustainable production and its ability to store sequestered carbon. There is growing evidence that wood-based materials have predominantly lower energy consumption and CO2 emissions compared to other materials, such as concrete, brick and steel. As wood and wood-based materials contribute to climate change mitigation throughout their lifecycle, it is important to test their performance in use. Wood products are used in a variety of circumstances and often biological hazards pose a risk to their service life. Increasing service life, often referred to as wood protection, leads to new wood-based materials. New materials require an appropriate and harmonized test design that leads to performance assessment in terms of predicting service life.

Therefore, in this Special Issue, we are collecting contributions from different disciplines, such as wood material science, wood technology, wood pathology, and performance test method evaluation studies. We encourage studies from all fields, including experimental studies, monitoring approaches and models, literature reviews, and surveys, to advance knowledge and adapt strategies to increase service life and performance classification of wood products for different use classes.

Prof. Dr. Joris Van Acker
Dr. Davor Kržišnik
Guest Editors

Keywords

  • performance testing
  • performance classification
  • service life prediction
  • service life planning
  • wood protection
  • monitoring
  • modelling

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1253 KiB  
Article
Faster Measurement for Formaldehyde Emissions from Veneered Particleboard Based on the Standardized Desiccator Method
by Jijuan Zhang, Zhaozhen Gui, Yang Chen, Li Xue, Feifei Song and Zhongfeng Zhang
Forests 2022, 13(10), 1566; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13101566 - 26 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1543
Abstract
Desiccator method is a fast and effective way to measure formaldehyde emissions from wood-based panels. This method is popular in the Chinese furniture industry and testing institutions. It is also an important method for production control due to its characteristics of low cost, [...] Read more.
Desiccator method is a fast and effective way to measure formaldehyde emissions from wood-based panels. This method is popular in the Chinese furniture industry and testing institutions. It is also an important method for production control due to its characteristics of low cost, fast speed, and simple operation. In order to further increase the measurement speed of the desiccator method, this study focuses on the impact of temperature and time conditions in regard to standard GB/T 17657-2013. The corresponding relationships for the measurement of formaldehyde emissions between the standardized desiccator method and those under different temperature and time conditions were studied. Four different experimental conditions were used: 60 °C for 6 h, 40 °C for 6 h, 43 °C for 4 h, and 45 °C for 4 h. The results showed that under 40 °C for 6 h the formaldehyde emissions measured using desiccator method were about twice as much as those under 20 °C for 24 h, at a correlation coefficient of R = 0.820. Under 45 °C for 4 h, the formaldehyde emissions measured using desiccator method were almost near equilibrium to emissions under 20 °C for 24 h, which was supported by a correlation coefficient of R = 0.955. A corresponding relationship between the formaldehyde emissions measurement results under these two conditions and those under the standardized conditions was observed. This relationship can be applied in the actual production control in the furniture industry in order to shorten the formaldehyde measurement time from 24 h to 6 h and 4 h, which can greatly improve measurement efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Performance Testing and Service Life of Wood and Wood-Based Materials)
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10 pages, 2120 KiB  
Article
Influence of Timber Moisture Content on the Ultrasonic Wave Velocity Measurement of Tectona grandis L.F. and Cupressus lusitanica M. from Costa Rica
by Viviana Paniagua, Javier Corrales, Cindy Torres and Beatriz González-Rodrigo
Forests 2022, 13(8), 1296; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13081296 - 15 Aug 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1793
Abstract
Ultrasound is a reliable non-destructive method commonly used to evaluate the state of a piece of wood. The effect of the moisture content (MC) on the timber wave velocity, which is different depending on the wood species, must be considered. MC [...] Read more.
Ultrasound is a reliable non-destructive method commonly used to evaluate the state of a piece of wood. The effect of the moisture content (MC) on the timber wave velocity, which is different depending on the wood species, must be considered. MC adjustment factors are important if accurate and comparable results are to be achieved. Thus, the goal of this study is to define a model that allows obtaining the adjustment factor to predict the standard velocity (12% of MC (V12) from velocity obtained at different MC for two Costa Rican commercial species: Tectona grandis L.F (teak) and Cupressus lusitanica M. (cypress). This effect was studied on small clean specimens during the desorption stages, from the fiber saturation point to the oven-dry state, controlling the specimen’s mass and MC on 62 specimens. With this data, the rate of change in ultrasound velocity per MC was modeled. Thus, the applicability of already published moisture adjustment models for conifers and hardwood tropical species was proved. The results showed that the proposed model coefficients adjust better than the ones obtained from the wood science literature, which makes them suitable to describe ultrasound velocity in different moisture conditions (VH). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Performance Testing and Service Life of Wood and Wood-Based Materials)
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11 pages, 1734 KiB  
Article
Effect of Growth Ring Width and Latewood Content on Selected Physical and Mechanical Properties of Plantation Japanese Larch Wood
by Sidong Wang, Dongsheng Chen, Jiangyi Chu and Jinghui Jiang
Forests 2022, 13(5), 797; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13050797 - 19 May 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2322
Abstract
In order to evaluate the physical and mechanical properties of plantation Japanese larch wood, various physical and mechanical indicators were measured with reference to Chinese national standards. The characteristics of the growth ring on the end face of wood samples were captured, with [...] Read more.
In order to evaluate the physical and mechanical properties of plantation Japanese larch wood, various physical and mechanical indicators were measured with reference to Chinese national standards. The characteristics of the growth ring on the end face of wood samples were captured, with the mean latewood percentage being 21.4% and the mean ring width being 3.24 mm. Relationships between growth ring characteristics, latewood percentages, and the physical and mechanical properties of the plantation Japanese larch wood were investigated. The results revealed that it is most appropriate to use growth ring width to evaluate MOE and MOR, and to use latewood percentage to evaluate air-dry density, radial air-dry shrinkage, IBS and UTS. Regression analysis confirmed that air-dry density (R2 = 0.99), radial shrinkage (R2 = 0.97) and UTS (R2 = 0.96) had significant positive correlations with latewood percentage, while MOE (R2 = 0.88) and MOR (R2 = 0.90) had significant negative correlations with RW. IBS was not significantly related to either characteristic. RW can be used to define juvenile wood and mature wood, with the dividing ring width being 4.85 mm. There is a large difference in MOE and MOR between the two wood types. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Performance Testing and Service Life of Wood and Wood-Based Materials)
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12 pages, 1863 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Age on the Wood Properties of Paulownia tomentosa (Thunb.) Steud.
by Bruno Esteves, Luísa Cruz-Lopes, Hélder Viana, José Ferreira, Idalina Domingos and Leonel J. R. Nunes
Forests 2022, 13(5), 700; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13050700 - 29 Apr 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2570
Abstract
Forests in Portugal are highly dependent on a short number of wood species, and new species with higher profitability are needed. The Paulownia species has generated great interest due to its fast-growing and relatively good wood properties. However, environmental factors have shown that [...] Read more.
Forests in Portugal are highly dependent on a short number of wood species, and new species with higher profitability are needed. The Paulownia species has generated great interest due to its fast-growing and relatively good wood properties. However, environmental factors have shown that Paulownia grows differently in each case. This study intends to determine the properties of young Paulownia trees from Portuguese plantations to determine the best age to cut the trees according to their use. The chemical composition (extractives in dichloromethane, ethanol and water, lignin, α-cellulose, and hemicelluloses), heating value, elemental analysis (CHNO), inorganic elements and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), and the most important mechanical and physical properties (density, MOE, bending strength, water absorption equilibrium, moisture content, and dimensional changes) were determined for 1-, 3-, and 5-year-old trees. The results show that, chemically, the extractives increased while hemicelluloses decreased with age, and no trend was found for lignin and α-cellulose. The physical and mechanical properties increased with age, except for the MOE and bending strength. The 5-year-old samples presented the best features for pellet production, namely, calorific power, elemental composition CHNO and sulfur, and inorganic elements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Performance Testing and Service Life of Wood and Wood-Based Materials)
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14 pages, 5074 KiB  
Article
Modeling of Falling Ball Impact Test Response on Solid, Veneer, and Traditional Engineered Wood Floorings of Several Hardwoods
by Fernando Sepliarsky, Luis Acuña, José-Antonio Balmori, Roberto D. Martínez, Eleana Spavento, Gabriel Keil, Milagros Casado and Pablo Martín-Ramos
Forests 2022, 13(2), 167; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13020167 - 22 Jan 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2679
Abstract
Hardness is a key mechanical property of flooring materials. In this study, the performance of veneer floorings (with a top layer thickness of 0.6 mm) was investigated by dynamic hardness tests, comparing it with those of traditional engineered wood floorings (with a top [...] Read more.
Hardness is a key mechanical property of flooring materials. In this study, the performance of veneer floorings (with a top layer thickness of 0.6 mm) was investigated by dynamic hardness tests, comparing it with those of traditional engineered wood floorings (with a top layer thickness of 3 mm) and solid wood floorings. Two hardwoods commonly used on wood flooring, viz. Quercus robur L. and Hymenaea courbaril L., and two fast-growing hardwoods, Eucalyptus globulus Labill. and Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden, were tested as top layers. To compare their usage properties, a dynamic impact hardness test involving steel balls with three diameters and five different drop heights was carried out, measuring the footprint diameter (FD) and the indentation depth (ID). The data from 4800 impacts, corresponding to 180 different individual groups (4 hardwood species × 3 ball diameters × 5 drop heights × 3 floor types) were analyzed. The results showed that the general response in terms of both FD and ID was better in the engineered wood floorings than in solid wood floorings, and that the veneer floorings (0.6 mm) showed better behavior than traditional engineered wood floorings (3.0 mm). Furthermore, for the veneer floorings, the two fast-growing hardwood species tested, which have significantly different densities, showed similar behavior to traditional hardwoods, suggesting that they would be suitable for valorization in the wood flooring industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Performance Testing and Service Life of Wood and Wood-Based Materials)
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