Durability to field from three eucalypts wood treated by short-term soak

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the decay resistance of Corymbia citriodora, Eucalyptus saligna and Eucalyptus tereticornis wood treated through short-term soak and exposed to outdoor and forest canopy. Wood were treated with copper chrome borate (CCB) and used motor oil, beyond untreated samples were the control treatment. The wood samples were exposed for 1 year and collected every 45 days. The characterization of wood samples were carried out through weight loss, loss of ultrasonic velocity, specific gravity, equilibrium moisture content and dynamic modulus of elasticity tests. The main results showed that Eucalyptus saligna is the most susceptible wood to fungal decay. Moreover, Eucalyptus saligna wood presented the best efficiency for both treatments (CCB and used oil motor). On the other hand, treatments with CCB and used oil motor showed low effective for Corymbia citriodora and Eucalyptus tereticornis wood. A strong and positive correlation between weight loss and loss of ultrasonic velocity was observed.