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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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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Series: | Forests |
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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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institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 1999-4907 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:04:36Z |
publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
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series | Forests |
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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