The application of non-destructive technologies for the assessment of mechanical properties has been increasingly used due to its reliable assessment of the condition of timber elements. The application of such methods is well established for sawn timber and small-diameter roundwood. However, regarding the assessment of the mechanical properties for roundwood with larger diameters, which are usually used for new utility poles, a fewer number of studies are available. This research considered three different methodologies for application in Maritime Pine utility poles: i) longitudinal vibration, ii) transverse vibration, and iii) ultrasound. The methodology with better results was chosen for use in the second stage of testing. Furthermore, mechanical tests were performed to compare and validate the results from the non-destructive tests. The moisture contents and densities were also determined. Simple and multiple linear regression analyses were performed between the visual, dynamic, and mechanical properties. The longitudinal vibration method achieved the best correlation within the non-destructive methods, while the ultrasound method had no noticeable correlation. The vibration frequency (f) (r = 0.51) showed a better correlation with the bending strength (MOR) than the dynamic modulus of elasticity (MOEdyn) (r = 0.45). The static modulus of elasticity (MOE) was the best property used to predict MOR because it presented the highest correlation (r = 0.79).
This study quantifies and compares the environmental impacts of production systems of biomass and roundwood from different wood species—maritime pine, eucalyptus, and cryptomeria. The results showed that roundwood and biomass from eucalyptus had the highest environmental impacts in most of the environmental categories. In contrast, cryptomeria products had the lowest impacts. For biomass, the impacts were higher for the forest production scenario when less biomass was produced (eucalyptus). The literature review showed that one of the main topics under study in the quantification of the environmental impacts of biomass is the allocation methodology. Thus, this study compared the environmental impacts of the various scenarios considering different methods of allocation: sub-division of processes, volume, mass, economy, and energy. The results showed that, for most scenarios, the biomass environmental impacts calculated by subdivision of processes had the highest values. In contrast, the environmental impacts of biomass calculated by economic allocation had the lowest environmental impact in most scenarios. The impacts of mass and energy allocation were similar for both products in all scenarios. Furthermore, this study showed that the system boundaries in biomass production have a strong influence on the environmental impacts and require further research.
In view of the lack of studies aimed at producing and assessing the effects of heat treatment of Oriented Strand Board (OSB) panels, this paper evaluated the thermal degradation kinetics of the raw materials, and the physical and mechanical properties of the panels made with eucalyptus wood and castor oil-based polyurethane adhesive. The OSB panels were subjected to post-production heat treatment (at 175 and 200 °C), replacing the use of wood chemical preservatives. Furthermore, the quantity of materials varied in the face:core:face layers in the proportions of 25:50:25 and 30:40:30, aiming to evaluate the possibility of structural applications for the panels. The results were statistically analyzed and compared with the specifications and classifications for OSB indicated by the European Standard EN 300 and the literature. The application of heat treatment improved the physical properties by decreasing the interaction with water and did not reduce the mechanical properties below the recommended levels. The variation in layer proportions indicated that all of them can be adopted without compromising the panel’s physical-mechanical performance. All treatments are compatible with the EN 300 classification for OSB/4 (heavy duty load-bearing boards for use in humid conditions), presenting technical feasibility and excellent structural profile for civil construction applications.
This study reviews the EPDs of structural solid wood (SW) products produced in Europe, using the NativeLCA methodology, and proposes a method to determine the strength classes of these products based on the visual grading procedure given by European standards. The EPDs’ search was performed in the ECO Platform database, and a total of 18 datasets were identified. The analysis of these EPDs found that the datasets of SW products may be grouped according to the processing considered: green products (high moisture content) (three datasets); sawn products (not planed) (five datasets); and planed products (ten datasets). The review of structural data identified that only five datasets provided the strength classes of products. This lack of information on structural properties does not allow a comparison that takes into account the different mechanical performance of the products. In order to enable the comparison of the environmental impacts of products for structural applications, a methodology was developed to estimate the strength classes of these products. This methodology is based on the visual grading procedures of SW products given by European standards and uses the identification of density, and wood’s country of origin and species.
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