Conference paper
Performance of self-tapping screws under climate-induced degradation in Australian chemically treated timber: experimental evaluation and preliminary insights
Proceedings IRG Annual Meeting, pp.1-19
Annual Meeting of International Research Group on Wood Protection (IRG), 56th (Beijing, China, 25-May-2026–28-May-2026)
IRG Secretariate
2026
Abstract
Self-tapping screws are increasingly used in Australian timber construction, yet their performance under climate induced degradation in chemically treated timber remains insufficiently quantified. This paper reports a pilot study from a broader programme, examining two preservative systems (H2F and CCA) and two screw coatings (hot dip galvanised, GAL, and Tufcote, TU) under two exposure regimes: full outdoor exposure (FE) and controlled water exposure (WE). Test samples were tested at 0-month (control), 3-month, and 6-month durations. Structural performance was evaluated using screw withdrawal (SW) and screw shear (SS) tests, with density corrected results reported and compared with the latest Eurocode 5 prediction equations. Overall, withdrawal behaviour was more sensitive to exposure. FE led to clear capacity reductions by 6 months in multiple groups, while WE produced mixed responses, including short term gains in some cases that were not always retained at 6 months. Coating and treatment interactions were evident, with TU generally showing larger early reductions under FE. These findings provide preliminary evidence to support environment specific fastener selection and motivate durability informed connection design for Australian treated timber systems.
Details
- Title
- Performance of self-tapping screws under climate-induced degradation in Australian chemically treated timber: experimental evaluation and preliminary insights
- Authors
- Zidi Yan - University of the Sunshine CoastTripti Singh - University of the Sunshine CoastLiam Ottenhaus - The University of Queensland
- Publication details
- Proceedings IRG Annual Meeting, pp.1-19
- Conference details
- Annual Meeting of International Research Group on Wood Protection (IRG), 56th (Beijing, China, 25-May-2026–28-May-2026)
- Publisher
- IRG Secretariate
- Date published
- 2026
- Grant note
- This research was funded by the National Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life, Forest Research Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast.
- Organisation Unit
- National Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991238898502621
- Output Type
- Conference paper
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