Condition of chromated copper arsenate treated hem-fir guardrail posts after 20 years in service in western Washington state

C S Love; M Clauson; A Sinha; Jeffrey J Morrell

doi:10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0000787

Back

Condition of chromated copper arsenate treated hem-fir guardrail posts after 20 years in service in western Washington state

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Condition of chromated copper arsenate treated hem-fir guardrail posts after 20 years in service in western Washington state

C S Love, M Clauson, A Sinha and Jeffrey J Morrell

Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, Vol.26(1), pp.160-166

2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0000787

Files and links (1)

url

https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0000787View

Published Version

Abstract

timber guardrail

decay

in-service performance

chromate copper arsenate

hem-fir

Wood guardrail posts are among the most common wood materials currently used in highway construction. Preservative treated hem-fir is an important species for guardrail applications in the western United States. The service life of treated timber post guardrail systems has been estimated to be between 10 and 20 years. However, there is surprisingly little information on performance of timber guardrails. One aspect of the estimate of service life is wood durability. This study assessed the flexural properties, level of decay, and residual preservative levels in chromated copper arsenate preservative treated hem-fir guardrail posts removed from a project near Bellingham, Washington. Increment cores were removed from each post to assess preservative treatment and fungal colonization. The posts were tested for flexure properties in a three-point bending test. Posts that met the American Wood Protection Association standards for preservative penetration tended to have lower levels of internal decay after 20 years in service, and all but six posts retained sufficient flexural properties to meet AASHTO standards.

Details

Title: Condition of chromated copper arsenate treated hem-fir guardrail posts after 20 years in service in western Washington state
Authors: C S Love (Author) - Oregon State University, United States
M Clauson (Author) - Oregon State University, United States
A Sinha (Author) - Oregon State University, United States
Jeffrey J Morrell (Author) - Oregon State University, United States
Publication details: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, Vol.26(1), pp.160-166
Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers
Date published: 2014
DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0000787
ISSN: 0899-1561
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; National Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450430802621
Output Type: Journal article

Metrics

127 Record Views

2 Times Cited - Web of Science

InCites Highlights

These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output

Web Of Science research areas: Construction & Building Technology; Engineering, Civil; Materials Science, Multidisciplinary