Accelerated Weathering of Red Oak Treated with Various Preservatives Used to Treat Crossties

Samples of red oak, 2 inches by 8 inches by 24 inches long, were pressure-treated with seven oil solutions of creosote and of pentachlorophenol and were exposed, along with untreated controls, to a laboratory cycle of weathering designed to produce sorbtion and desorbtion phases. Moisture content and surface checking were measured at each stage of the weathering cycle as an indication of the effects which might be expected in red oak railway ties. All preservative solutions used effectively reduced the amount of surface checking that occurred under accelerated weathering as compared to untreated controls, but no significant differences were found in the effectiveness of the preservative solutions themselves. Check-free specimens that were planed checked less than rough-sawn samples under accelerated weathering. It is assumed that the preservative action is to retard moisture changes. Application of results to crossties is said to be questionable due to the frequent occurrence of boxed-heart in the larger sections -and the resulting difference in shrinkage characteristics. Hence, verification of these results in field observations is recommended.

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