Surface checking of wood is increased by photodegradation caused by ultraviolet and visible light
The aim of this research was to test the hypothesis that exposure to solar radiation increases the checking of wood exposed to the weather, and to examine the causes and spectral dependency of such an effect. Lodgepole pine decking samples were exposed outdoors under filters, which blocked selected regions of the solar spectrum while allowing other weathering factors to act on samples. Surface checking in samples was quantified after 12, 24 and 36 weeks of exposure, and the chemical and micro-structural changes occurring at weathered wood surfaces were examined. Check numbers and dimensions were greater in samples exposed under a filter to the full solar spectrum than in samples exposed under filters that blocked the transmission of UV, visible or infrared radiation. Samples that were shielded from more energetic wavelengths developed less checking and also showed less delignification at the exposed wood surfaces. Checks developed at the margins of rays and propagated at the interface between adjacent tracheids, close to the middle lamella. We conclude that exposure to UV and visible light increases the tendency of wood to check during exterior exposure. Our findings point to a link between changes in cell micro-structure as a result of photodegradation of lignin and the development of visible checks in wood exposed outdoors.
Structural changes in Pinus radiata during weathering
Etude des modifications structurelles dans le bois de Pinus radiata soumis a un vieillissement naturel sur une periode de deux ans a l'aide d'un microscope electronique a balayage
General expression for the density effect for the ionization loss of charged particles
The equations for the density-effect correction $\ensuremath{\delta}(X)$ for the ionization loss as given in a previous paper have been extended to the case where $\ensuremath{\delta}({X}_{0})\ensuremath{\equiv}{\ensuremath{\delta}}_{0}g0$. Here ${X}_{0}$ is the lower limit of the range ${X}_{0}lXl{X}_{1}$, where a particularly simple expression for $\ensuremath{\delta}(X)$ applies; $X={log}_{10}(\frac{p}{{m}_{0}c})$, where $p$ is the momentum and ${m}_{0}$ is the mass of the incident particle. The case ${\ensuremath{\delta}}_{0}g0$ applies directly to the calculation of $\ensuremath{\delta}(X)$ for conductors (metals).