Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Stokes, C. Elizabeth

Committee Member

Barnes, H. Michael

Committee Member

Lim, Thomas Hyungsuk

Committee Member

Kirker, Grant

Date of Degree

5-1-2020

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

Major

Sustainable Bioproducts

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

College

College of Forest Resources

Department

Department of Sustainable Bioproducts

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the durability of commercially available coatings on cross- laminated timber (CLT) during natural and artificial weathering and against wood decay fungus. The CLT samples coated with twelve coatings were tested based on their moisture exclusion, water repellency, volumetric swelling and anti-swelling efficiency. Among all the tested coatings, only five (A, C, F, I and J) were able to promote water repellency and limiting dimensional changes. The top five coatings were then tested on CLT blocks exposed to natural (Starkville-MS and Madison-WI) and artificial weathering conditions and brown-rot fungi (G. trabeum). Variables such as visual ratings, water uptake, color and gloss change were determined during both weathering procedures. Damage caused by Gloeophyllum trabeum on uncoated and coated CLT was analyzed based on visual appearance and weight loss. For the coatings C and F, the visual rakings and color change results indicated high consistency during outdoor exposure. The artificial weathering showed that coating C and F were the most resistant to chalking, lightness, color and gloss change. In the soil block test, coating C obtained satisfactory performance against G. trabeum with weight loss of 1.33%. Coatings F and J did not offer any protection to water penetration, which eventually contributed to fungal development. For future, new coatings specifically designed for the protection of high percentages of end-grain in CLT panels should be a target of research and development.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/16651

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