Abstract
Wood is a common construction material used in most environments. However, its sensibility to abiotic agents, in particular those that affect the dimensional stability, limits the materials durability and decreases its properties. In this work, the efficiency of a paraffin-emulsion-based product as a water repellent, combined with the selection of Eucalyptus grandis clones with a low cracking index, was tested for its use in utility poles in order to improve the woods dimensional stability. Four selected Eucalyptus grandis clones were treated with the product mixed with Chromated Copper Arsenate - the most commonly used wood protector - in a single stage by the Bethell method at two retention levels. The dimensional stability of the treated samples was studied through the determination of anti-shrink efficiency. Test samples were also exposed to accelerated weathering processes for 200 h, and later analyzed by SEM microscopy. Results showed a significant improvement in the dimensional stability of treated wood when compared to samples without the water repellent, with variable efficacy depending on the clone used. Despite the weathering process slightly affected the appearance of the wood surface, the product is suitable for exterior use
Highlights
Used in civil construction among other outdoor applications, wood is highly sensitive to abiotic agents such as water, humidity, wind, oxygen, pollutants, or radiation
Since there are no standardized methods to determine the dimensional stability of the wood (Sargent 2019), water soaking test was chosen, as it emulates the humidity conditions of wood in service; utility poles withstand the variability of external environmental conditions but are sometimes in contact with liquid water
Anti-Shrink Efficiency (ASE) values were calculated from the averages of the 5 measurements of the wood specimens of each clone
Summary
Used in civil construction among other outdoor applications, wood is highly sensitive to abiotic agents such as water, humidity, wind, oxygen, pollutants, or radiation. Two strategies are combined: the selection of low cracking index E. grandis clones, and the application of a water repellent -in development by Argentinian industry - capable of being applied in a single stage mixed with CCA. Maximum tangential and radial shrinkage were determined from the saturated and oven dry dimensions of the wood specimens according to Equation 3: β (r,t) dv − ds ds
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