Treesearch

The calcium precipitating agent NHA has been shown to protect southern yellow pine (SYP) from wood decay and termite damage comparable to CCA in field tests (Gulfport, MS) for two years (Crawford and Green, 1999). In a collaborative study, SYP wood blocks were vacuum treated with three concentrations of aqueous NHA and exposed in a no-choice test to Eastern subterranean termites (FPL, USA) and Formosan subterranean termites (WRI, Japan) to determine protection against termite damage. Individual blocks (leached and unleached) were exposed to R. flavipes (AWPA) or C. formosanus (JWPA) for...

The technology currently exists to manufacture natural fiber-thermoplastic composites from recycled materials. Development of commodity building products from these composites would open huge markets for waste-based materials in the United States. To date, the construction industry has only accepted wood-thermoplastic composite lumber and only for limited applications. In a little more than a decade, the use of composite decking has grown to about 4% of the exterior decking market. Even larger markets within the building industry could be developed, such as the roofing market. However, a...

A large sample of timber was collected from a 548,000-ft.2 (50,900-m2) World War II era industrial military building containing approximately 1, 875,000 board feet (4,400 m3) of lumber and timber. Sixty 12-foot- (3.6-m-) long, nominal 8- by 8-inches (190-by 190-mm) Douglas-fir columns were tested at the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, and the results were compared with the National Design Specification allowable design capacity. The effects of seasoning checks and splits on residual column strength are presented. Results indicate that about one-third of the columns were...

The Midwest Roadside Safety Facility, in cooperation with the Forest Products Laboratory, which is part of the U.S. Department of Agricultureas Forest Service, and FHWA, designed two bridge railing and approach guardrail transition systems for use on bridges with transverse glue-laminated timber decks. The bridge raging and transition systems were developed and crash tested for use on higher-service-level roadways and evaluated according to the Test Level 4 safety performance criteria presented in NCHRP Report 350: Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway...

This paper finalizes research on graded Douglas-fir 2 by 4 beams subjected to constant bending loads of various levels and durations. Compared to results for testing in a controlled environment, results confirm that load duration did not appear to be shortened by tests in an uncontrolled environment, at least extending out to 12-plus years. By the same comparison, relative creep was considerably increased, however. The extended data also confirm that no evidence was found for a threshold below which stress levels for lumber can be maintained indefinitely. Based on the finalized prediction...

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of juvenile wood on the mechanical and physical properties of red alder. Tree growth in the first 10 to 20 years, usually referred to as juvenile wood, often influences wood quality by adversely affecting mechanical strength properties. Strength can be reduced up to 50 percent by the presence of juvenile wood. More knowledge of juvenile/mature wood properties will provide practical information for silviculturists and processors of red alder, leading to a more appropriate usage of this species. Six red alder trees were used in...

Yellow-cedar trees have been mysteriously dying for more than a century in southeast Alaska. As these stems continue to stand for decades in the forest, foliage, twigs, and branches deteriorate. The sapwood in the stem degrades, leaving columns of essentially heartwood standing like ghosts in the forest until they eventually drop. To estimate the potential for utilization of these trees, several experiments have been initiated to characterize the natural durability of heartwood from dying and dead yellow-cedar trees. The objectives of this study were to characterize the durability of...

A direct proportionality has been found between the smoke extinction area (SEA) for smoke of room linings and the SEA as measured in the cone calorimeter (ISO5660). The room test scenario (ISO9705) considered was the propane ignition burner at the corner with a 100/300 kW program and the specimen lined on the walls only. The mixing of smoke from propane and lining flames in the hot vitiated ceiling layer and within the exhaust system was modeled by adding contributions from heat release rates of propane and linings separately as a function of time. With overventilation and flaming generally...

Research and demonstration bridge projects to further develop wood for transportation structures increased substantially in the United States in 1988 under a legislative action by the U.S. Congress known as the Timber Bridge Initiative. This program, renamed the Wood in Transportation Program, continues today and is administered by the Forest Service. FHWA became involved in timber bridge research in 1990. The FHWA program increased substantially under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). From 1992 to 1997, ISTEA authorized significant funding for timber...

Recently AASHTO adopted a load and resistance factor design code for highway bridges. The new code provides a rational basis for the design of steel and concrete structures. However, the calibration was not done for wood bridges. Therefore, there is a need to fill this gap. The development of statistical models for wood bridge structures is discussed. Recent test results provided a considerable amount of new data for sawed wood and glulam components. Statistical methods provide a good tool for development of rational models for loads and resistance. Because of the random nature of load and...