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Content and Project implementation

Content

Wood deckings for terraces, balconies, platforms, bridges etc. are one of the most important outdoor applications for wood.. At the same time, this is a big challenge due to the exposure to very high abiotic and biotic loads. Despite of generally high sales, the percentage of wooden decking is declining, particularly due to discolouration, cracking, distortion, or rot. In result, the demand for "inert" materials, like wood-plastic composites (WPC), is increasing.

For some time, the need for a normative basis or general technical rules for wood decking has been expressed frequently. An adequate standardisation document, as with EN 14342 for wooden flooring and parquet, is not existing. In contrast, for WPC planks, a European standard (EN 15534-4) and a European assessment document (EAD-190005-00-0402) are available. For decking, various properties and quality criteria are to be considered, but for many of them, appropriate test and assessment methods are missing. In several cases, good information is provided by producers or by wood trading companies, but this doesn´t allow an objective evaluation.

Objectives are compilation of existing test and assessment methods and quality criteria, development and validation of test methods, preparation of a catalogue of quality criteria for decking, and preparation of a classification and assessment catalogue for essential characteristics. Basis to achieve the objectives are the previous and current research and testing activities of the RTD organisations as well as various technical publications. EURODECK ties up directly with several finalized projects for decking.

The project shall provide various benefits to enterprises:

The project includes 3 general tasks: compilation and evaluation of available testing and assessment methods, development of missing methods, and compilation of a comprehensive catalogue of all quality criteria, including requirements, test methods, classifications and further useful information. The variety of properties and characteristics is divided into 5 subject areas:

A: Wood quality – environmental aspects (softwoods as well as hardwoods, tropical, impregnated and modified timber)

B: Strength – mounting and fixing (investigation of missing data for calculation, impact resistance, surface hardness, holding capacity and strength of fasteners, gluing quality)

C: Durability – reaction to moisture (susceptibility against wood-disfiguring fungi, susceptibility against algae, lichen, and moss, durability against wood-decay fungi, resistance against wood-destroying beetles, termites, and marine organisms, reaction to moisture, dimensional stability, capillary water uptake)

D: Performance Properties (slip properties, splinter formation, scratch/wear/abrasion resistance, susceptibility to crack formation, reaction against frost and snow, drainage, staining and cleanability, reaction against metals, leaching)

E: Reaction to fire (determination of method, assessment of reaction to fire classes, classification without testing)

Main result shall be a catalogue with quality criteria for decking made of solid wood, including all important and relevant properties, existing and new developed requirements, test methods, and classifications. Herewith, a comprehensive quality and assessment programme will be available for the first time. Results are disseminated by direct cooperation with the enterprises involved in the user committee, and by technical publications and presentations.

Project implementation

The European research project EURODECK started officially on 1st May 2020 within the CORNET funding programme of the European Commission.

The research within the project is conducted together by the Institut für Holztechnologie Dresden (IHD) from Germany and Holzforschung Austria (HFA). Both institutes are leading research institutes in the field of wood technology in Europe, have a long track-record on innovative R&D projects related to wood decking. IHD and HFA have the competence and equipment to carry out the research activities in the project and have successfully cooperated before. EURODECK is related to the sector of wood industry producing solid wood products, in particular saw and planning mills, producing coatings, and wood trade. The associations involved in the project consortium represent enterprises from both countries that include major players in the relevant wood industry sector. They provide important networks to disseminate the project´s results to their members. The strong and active involvement of international companies in the User Committee gives the project a real European dimension, which is necessary to gain international agreement with and recognition of the project results. The pre-competitive character of the project to the benefit of the whole branch enables open and efficient discussions within the international platform that will be established via the project consortium and the User Committee. This approach is by far more effective than individual national initiatives to gain improvement of quality of solid wood decking.

Meetings

The kick-off meeting of the consortium and the User Committee (UC) took place on 22 October 2020 as a web conference. The working programme was explained by the research institutes and agreed by the User Committee.
The 2nd UC meeting took place on 30 April 2021 from 09:00 – 11:30, performed as a web meeting. UC members were informed about the progress and discussed various technical issues with the researcher team.
The 3rd meeting takes place on 16 November 2021 from 13:30-16:00, again as web meeting.
The final project meeting took place on March 30, 2022 at IHD in Dresden as hybrid meeting with 19 physical and 9 online participants.

Partners

tihd ihd hfa



Enterprises and associations Germany (in alphabetic order): Enterprises and associations Austria (in alphabetic order):
  • ATECTA Beratung Holzschutz
  • Deutsche Bauchemie e.V.
  • Enno Roggemann GmbH & Co. KG
  • häussermann GmbH & Co. KG
  • HOKA GMBH GERMANY
  • Holzbodenwerk Krottenthaler GmbH Co. KG
  • Holz-Henkel GmbH & Co. KG
  • H&D HolzTec GmbH & Co. KG
  • Holz Waidelich GmbH & Co. KG
  • Osmo Holz und Color GmbH & Co. KG
  • Rentsch Holzhandels-GmbH
  • SWERO KG
  • Bundesgremium Baustoff-, Eisen-, Hartwaren- und Holzhandel
  • Fachverband der Holzindustrie Österreichs
  • FIXINGGROUP GmbH
  • J. u. A. Frischeis Gesellschaft m.b.H.
  • Marianne Frey-Amon Holz und Holzprodukte
  • M. Hechenblaickner Holzhandelsgesellschaft m. b. H.
  • Mühlbauer Holz GmbH
  • Verband der Europäischen Hobelindustrie

Publications