Western juniper and cinnamon essential oils were combined with ethanol at 2.5, 5, and 10% concentrations by weight and applied to hybrid poplar (Populus trichocarpa x P. deltoids) veneers by vacuum soaking to produce a naturally durable wood veneer with increased mechanical properties for use in structural composites. Half of these veneers were then modified using viscoelastic thermal compression to increase veneer density and modulus of elasticity. Following densification, unprocessed and VTC processed veneers receiving an essential oil treatment were subjected to an AWPA E21-06 Formosan termite exposure test, AWPA E24-06 mold box test, and brown rot (Gloeophyllum trabeum) decay bending test. While VTC processing drastically reduced the abundance of chemical components inherent within essential oil treatments, veneer specimens without VTC processing showed increased durability. A 10% juniper oil treatment drastically reduced Formosan termite attack on hybrid poplar veneers while a 10% cinnamon oil treatment significantly reduced mold growth. Timbor��, an industrial powdered borate treatment, withstood VTC
processing and inhibited Formosan termite attack and mold growth. Tests to evaluate the effectiveness of essential oil treatments against brown rot were unsuccessful. Results suggest that incorporating a disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT) treatment prior to VTC processing could help improve VTC wood durability. / Graduation date: 2013
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/34327 |
| Date | 13 September 2012 |
| Creators | Scouse, Adam A. |
| Contributors | Kamke, Fred A., Morrell, Jeffery J. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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