Effect of novel consolidants on mechanical and absorption properties of deteriorated wood by insect attack

The influence of chemical treatments based on novel organic products on the consolidation of deteriorated wood by insect attack was evaluated on two hardwoods and one softwood: fir (Abies alba), beech (Fagus sylvatica) and deciduous oak (Quercus sp.). Degraded and intact specimens of the three wood species were impregnated with two different chemical treatments aimed to verify the potential synergic action of the novel products on wood. Then, the specimens were subjected to bending, compression parallel to the grain, impact, hardness and water absorption tests. Untreated specimens of the same botanical species, both degraded and non-degraded, were examined for comparison purposes. The experimental results showed a different effectiveness of the proposed chemical treatments to improve the mechanical and absorption properties of degraded wood. The most effective treatment was the one assuming the concurrent use of the studied novel consolidants. The species more susceptible of the enhancement in mechanical properties were fir and beech. The observed differentiations were most likely caused by the different structure of the botanical species considered, leading to a consequent different product penetration in the wood structure. The dimensional stability in terms of water repellent and antiswelling efficiency, after a three-month immersion in deionized water, was found to improve in all the treated wood specimens. Overall, experimental results showed that the impact of the chemical treatments was higher on degraded samples than on intact ones.