In this study, dynamic hardness tests on solid and engineered wood flooring specimens of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. and Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden hardwoods were performed because nowadays, these fast-growing hardwoods are still scarcely employed for this use. Furthermore, another two examples of hardwood commonly applied on wood flooring, Quercus robur L. and Hymenaea courbaril L., were also tested. To compare their properties, a dynamic impact hardness test based on the impact of steel balls, with several diameters, and drop heights was developed. Accordingly, 120 solid wood flooring specimens and 120 engineering wood flooring specimens were producing with these four hardwood species. Dynamic impact tests were made with three steel balls of different diameters (30–40–50 mm), and they were carried out from five different drop heights (0.60–0.75–0.90–1.05–1.20 m). The impact of the steel ball drew the size of the footprint on the surface and this mark was measured with a digital caliper for both dimensions, diameter and depth, as footprint diameter (FD) and indentation depth (ID). Data from 3000 samples, corresponding to 120 different individual groups (4 species × 3 ball diameters × 5 drop height × 2 floor type) were analyzed. Results indicated that the variability of ID (CV between 19.25–25.61%) is much greater than the values achieved for FD (CV between 6.72–7.91%). Regarding the fast-growing hardwood species tested, E. globulus showed a similar behavior to traditional hardwood applied on wood flooring in Europe, Q. robur, and it could be a promising growth in the flooring industry. However, E. grandis showed the worst values compared to traditional hardwood in all test configurations.
Aim of study: to assess the natural durability of Populus x euramericana ‘I-214’ against xylophagous fungi and termites, and to carry out a macro-microscopic analysis of the alterations caused by each xylophagous agent in order to get the necessary information for its possible inclusion in existing European standards.Area of study: A 20-years-old commercial plantation Populus x euramericana‘I-214’ located in Quintanilla de Sollamas (42° 36′ 00″N - 05° 49′ 00″ W), Spanish community of Castile-LeonMaterial and methods: material sampling and selection was carried out following EN 350:2017 for commercial sawn timber. Poplar resistance to xylophagous basidiomycete, soft rot fungi and subterranean termites was determined according to CEN/TS 15083-1:2005, CEN/TS 15083-2:2005 and EN 117:2012, respectively. The durability and use classes were estimated according to EN 350:2016 and EN 335:2013, respectively. The anatomical studies were carried out with Optical and Scanning Electron Microscope. Material characterization was carried out by reference to Anagnost (1998) and Schwarze (2007).Main results: ‘I-214’ poplar wood proved to be “Not-durable” to the action of basidiomycetes, soft rot fungi and termites, use classes 1-2, and showed macro-microscopic evidence of these types of decay.Research highlights: the information obtained in this study would allow the inclusion of clone I-214 in the standard EN 350 and its explicit classification within it.Keywords: wood-decay fungi; termites; EN 350.Abbreviations used: TM: test material; RM: reference material; RH: relative humidity; ML: mass loss; mi: initial dry mass; mf: final dry mass; DC: durability class; OM: Optical Microscope; SEM: Scanning Electron Microscope; TS: transverse section samples; LS: longitudinal section samples; CI: robust confidence intervals; F: fibre; V: vessel; h: hole; t: erosion trough; R: radial parenchyma cell; ep: erosion pitting; Fc: fungal colonization; fr: fracture; c: cavity; b: bore hole; m: mycelium.
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.
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