Mechanical properties and decay resistance of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) sapwood modified by vinyl acetate-epoxidized linseed oil copolymer

Abstract

Abstract Equilibrium moisture content (EMC), mechanical properties, and durability of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) sapwood modified by vinyl acetate epoxidized linseed oil (WVA-ELO) have been studied. Microscopic observations revealed that the impregnated copolymer is mainly in cell walls, rays, resin canals, and a small fraction in the cell lumens. Under the same climate conditioning, the EMC of the treated wood was in the range of 6.0%–8.2%, which was significantly lower than that of untreated wood (about 12%). Mechanical tests performed on paired samples (control and treated) showed a slight reduction on the mechanical properties of WVA-ELO. The decay resistance against basidiomycete fungi of WVA-ELO was significantly improved as demonstrated by laboratory tests. It was found that 8% weight percentage gain (WPG) was sufficient to ensure decay resistance against the test fungi with <5% mass loss (ML), which led to durability class (DC) of 2.