There is increasing need for consideration of performance classification for wood products in construction, as evidenced by the CPR, warranty providers and end user demands for information. This means we need to radically consider how the tests we conduct on wood for durability (especially biological durability) can inform on service life and how they might if possible be translated into a performance classification system.
This paper describes the changes that have occurred in the past 5-10 years in Europe and how the trajectory of standards development is now on a different pathway. The collaborative European project PerformWOOD is described. It is one of the main responses to the classification and service life demands and is considering key issues such as material resistance, moisture risk and adaptation of existing standards. The current thinking on how to bring together these critical issues to inform end users of performance classification, and ultimately on service life, will be discussed in detail.
Keywords: EN 460, service life prediction, performance standards, moisture risk, time of wetness, material resistance
Authors
Suttie E.
BRE, UK
Brischke C.
University of Hannover, Germany
Englund F.
SP, Sweden
Heisel E.
FCBA, France
Jermer J.
SP, Sweden
Lorenzo D.
Tecnalia, Spain
Polášek M.
VVUD, Czech Republic
Thelandersson S.
University of Lund, Sweden
Van Acker J.
University of Ghent, Belgium
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