short description

To strengthen this R&D potential, also at the European application level, and to improve the infrastructural conditions for research, teaching and study, existing analytical methods at the department were further expanded. On 14.04.2014, the procurement of equipment for setting up the laboratory for accelerated mechanical weathering of wood samples was started, consisting of the services and five devices required for installation:

• a rapid weathering device with UVA-340 nm lamps and water spray system.
• an ion exchanger with conductivity meter, which again noticeably relieves the cleaning unit installed in the weathering tester and thus significantly reduces subsequent maintenance costs.
• a constant climate chamber, which considerably simplifies prior conditioning of the samples.
• an exhaustable safety drying cabinet, which is integrated into the existing exhaust infrastructure, and in which treated samples can also be dried.
• a laboratory freezer unit that allows sample materials to be cooled down to -45 °C.

Especially for the evaluation of chemical and thermal modification processes as well as their coatings, weathering behavior plays a decisive role. The weathering laboratory allows accelerated testing of the material behavior of wood, wood-based materials or their modifications or coatings with regard to properties in expected use. In particular, the laboratory enables comparative monitoring of samples exposed to natural weathering in outdoor climates.

The integration of the laboratory into the existing facilities for chemical analysis at the Department of Wood Engineering of the HNEE allows accelerated weathering processes on wood and wood-based materials or their coatings to be analyzed and quantified.