The thesis deals with the influence of the base material of the coating systems for wood durability when we exposed them to external conditions. The theoretical part is devoted to wood durability and weather resistance with a detailed description of the tests the durability of coating systems. A substantial part of the theory is devoted to description binder component of the coating material. In the practical part was performed the experiment, which examined the influence of the thickness of the coating system, the type of coating material (paint or lasure) as well as the type of binder (water dispersion with an alkyd or acrylic resin, respectively solution coating system with the alkyd resin). All coating systems were exposed to natural and artificial durability tests. The criterions for evaluation were chosen differences of colours.

The objective of this study is to characterize the mechanical and adhesive properties of polyvinylbutyral and determine the effect of plasticizer content and photoageing on these properties. This data would be used to understand how the performance of laminated safety glass is related to the choice of adhesive interlayer. Samples of PVB plasticized with 0 to 40% butyl benzyl phthalate by weight were analyzed using a single strain rate tensile test, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis and a 1350 peel test. Two regimes of behavior were identified. PVB with low plasticizer contents, up to 10%, acts as a glassy polymer at room temperature. At higher plasticizer concentrations, greater than 20%, the material becomes elastomeric, with increased ductility and decreased moduli. The adhesive strength of each of the formulations was similar if compared at their respective glass transition temperatures. At room temperature, the heavily plasticized formulations had good adhesive strength whereas the less plasticized formulations readily debonded from the glass. These results suggest that PVB plasticized with between 20 and 40% plasticizer content is highly suitable as an interlayer material. UV radiation exposure was used to simulate the effect of sunlight on PVB. Forty micron thick samples were irradiated for up to 1000 hours of exposure time and analyzed using FTIR spectroscopy. It was determined that photo degradation had occurred in the form of a breakdown of the acetal ring structure in the vinyl butyral function. Similar treatment of 0.75 mm thick samples produced no major degradation in the mechanical or adhesive properties of the material. This is an unexpected result that conflicts with the obvious degradation discovered during FTIR spectroscopic testing. This is most likely due to the increased thickness of the mechanical samples and corresponding lo\ver UV dosage per polymer chain. / Master of Science