Equipment and facilities
Wood preservative open-air tests
Wood preservatives should effectively hinder wood degradation by harmful organisms, even if the wood is buried in the ground. The requirements are very high, especially when the protection has to work, if possible, for all types of soil and under the most variable climate conditions. The usefulness of wood preservatives as well as their health risk and environmental compatibility must be verified in a strict certification process.
BAM takes over the efficiency assessment. For this purpose it has established a test field for sustained open-air tests. These tests are based on the EN 252 standard, ‘Field test method for determining the relative protective efficiency of wood preservative in ground contact’. Using this method, BAM’s biologists test the durability of stakes in soil. The wood is either soaked in a protective agent or left untreated to check its natural durability. Additionally, open-air weathering with no ground contact is possible in the surroundings of the test field.
If wood preservatives are tested, pine sapwood pegs are impregnated according to a specification and buried in the soil on the test field. The test time is five or more years. The pegs are investigated annually for changes which provides information on the degradation by wood-destructive fungi. After five years the wooden pegs are subjected to a computer-controlled bending test. If the load remains within the elastic range i.e. only elastic deformations occur, and the peg regains its original shape after the test, it has passed.
Equipment and facilities | Division 4.1 | Test facilities on the BAM Test Site Technical Safety
