The Role of Abrasion Resistance in Determining Suitability of Low-Density Plantation Timber for Engineered Flooring

Abrasion resistance is an important property for the functional performance and serviceability of timber floors. Although hardness is the conventional criterion used in selecting species for flooring applications, it shows greater variations and restricts the use of low-density species, whereas abra...

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Main Authors: Kuluni Millaniyage, Nathan Kotlarewski, Assaad Taoum, Louise Wallis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-06-01
Series:Forests
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/7/1309
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author Kuluni Millaniyage
Nathan Kotlarewski
Assaad Taoum
Louise Wallis
author_facet Kuluni Millaniyage
Nathan Kotlarewski
Assaad Taoum
Louise Wallis
author_sort Kuluni Millaniyage
collection DOAJ
description Abrasion resistance is an important property for the functional performance and serviceability of timber floors. Although hardness is the conventional criterion used in selecting species for flooring applications, it shows greater variations and restricts the use of low-density species, whereas abrasion resistance could generate a more reliable indication of a product’s surface performance. <i>Eucalyptus nitens</i> is a fast-grown global plantation species extensively available in Tasmania, Australia. Until recently, this material has been perceived as unsuitable for appearance applications such as flooring. This study assesses several engineered flooring prototypes comprised of <i>E. nitens</i>—sawlog managed and fibre-managed resources—compared to an existing market product (<i>E. obliqua</i> and a commercial engineered timber flooring product with UV-cured coating). Tests were performed in accordance with the EN 14354:2016, sandpaper method using Taber abraser and further modified to test flooring prototypes. The highest abrasion resistance was observed in the <i>E. nitens</i> veneer composite product. Fibre-managed <i>E. nitens</i> resulted in the greatest level of abrasion, while sawlog-managed <i>E. nitens</i> was comparable to native regrowth <i>E. obliqua</i>, a commonly used flooring species historically used in Australia. Therefore, the findings from this research suggest there are suitable flooring applications for plantation <i>E. nitens</i> as engineered wood products in some domestic and residential dwellings when compared to existing native products.
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spelling doaj.art-6fcc29f27725444ca5afe389484e23582023-11-18T19:22:24ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072023-06-01147130910.3390/f14071309The Role of Abrasion Resistance in Determining Suitability of Low-Density Plantation Timber for Engineered FlooringKuluni Millaniyage0Nathan Kotlarewski1Assaad Taoum2Louise Wallis3Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW), University of Tasmania, Launceston, TAS 7250, AustraliaCentre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW), University of Tasmania, Launceston, TAS 7250, AustraliaSchool of Engineering, College of Sciences and Engineering, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7001, AustraliaCentre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW), University of Tasmania, Launceston, TAS 7250, AustraliaAbrasion resistance is an important property for the functional performance and serviceability of timber floors. Although hardness is the conventional criterion used in selecting species for flooring applications, it shows greater variations and restricts the use of low-density species, whereas abrasion resistance could generate a more reliable indication of a product’s surface performance. <i>Eucalyptus nitens</i> is a fast-grown global plantation species extensively available in Tasmania, Australia. Until recently, this material has been perceived as unsuitable for appearance applications such as flooring. This study assesses several engineered flooring prototypes comprised of <i>E. nitens</i>—sawlog managed and fibre-managed resources—compared to an existing market product (<i>E. obliqua</i> and a commercial engineered timber flooring product with UV-cured coating). Tests were performed in accordance with the EN 14354:2016, sandpaper method using Taber abraser and further modified to test flooring prototypes. The highest abrasion resistance was observed in the <i>E. nitens</i> veneer composite product. Fibre-managed <i>E. nitens</i> resulted in the greatest level of abrasion, while sawlog-managed <i>E. nitens</i> was comparable to native regrowth <i>E. obliqua</i>, a commonly used flooring species historically used in Australia. Therefore, the findings from this research suggest there are suitable flooring applications for plantation <i>E. nitens</i> as engineered wood products in some domestic and residential dwellings when compared to existing native products.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/7/1309abrasion resistance<i>Eucalyptus nitens</i>engineered flooringTaber abraser
spellingShingle Kuluni Millaniyage
Nathan Kotlarewski
Assaad Taoum
Louise Wallis
The Role of Abrasion Resistance in Determining Suitability of Low-Density Plantation Timber for Engineered Flooring
Forests
abrasion resistance
<i>Eucalyptus nitens</i>
engineered flooring
Taber abraser
title The Role of Abrasion Resistance in Determining Suitability of Low-Density Plantation Timber for Engineered Flooring
title_full The Role of Abrasion Resistance in Determining Suitability of Low-Density Plantation Timber for Engineered Flooring
title_fullStr The Role of Abrasion Resistance in Determining Suitability of Low-Density Plantation Timber for Engineered Flooring
title_full_unstemmed The Role of Abrasion Resistance in Determining Suitability of Low-Density Plantation Timber for Engineered Flooring
title_short The Role of Abrasion Resistance in Determining Suitability of Low-Density Plantation Timber for Engineered Flooring
title_sort role of abrasion resistance in determining suitability of low density plantation timber for engineered flooring
topic abrasion resistance
<i>Eucalyptus nitens</i>
engineered flooring
Taber abraser
url https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/7/1309
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