Assessment of preservative treated aspen waferboard after 30 months of field exposure

Aspen waferboard panels bonded with phenol formaldehyde resin and treated with preservatives were exposed on test fences or buried to half their height in soil at sites in Mississippi and Minnesota. Preservatives (added to board furnish at manufacture) included tributyltinoxide (TBTO), ammoniacal copper arsenate (ACA), and copper-fluorine formulations (CFW and CFR). Finished panels were also dipped in copper-8-quinolinolate (CU8) and 3-iodo-2-propynyl butyl carbamate (IPBC) for fence exposure only. Inspection of biodeterioration and strength tests after 2-1/2 years showed ACA to be the superior treatment in all exposures. Panels in aboveground exposures were darkened primarily by Alternaria sp.; unknown soil fauna, soft rot, and numerous basidiomycete decay fungi were active in buried portions of panels. Comparison of treatments using load at failure in compression parallel to the face was a more sensitive indicator of performance than either modulus of rupture or modulus of elasticity.

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