Update on Wood Treatment and Corrosion Resistant Fasteners

Professor John Ruddick from the Department of Wood Science at UBC
specializes in enhancing wood durability through chemical and heat treatment. His research focuses on understanding the chemistry of fixation/stabilization of alkaline copper based wood preservatives and carbon based wood preservatives, factors influencing the performance of shell treated wood in residential construction and the protection of composite products such as OSB.

As a Consultant with Mychem Wood Protection Consultants Ltd. He specializes in the detection of decay in commercial timber structures and problems with corrosion of metal fasteners and connectors in contact with treated wood.

The presentation will discuss how the performance of treated wood in residential construction is controlled by several factors including the wood durability, the longevity of preservative treatment, and the performance of the fasteners and connectors used in the construction.

This presentation will focus on two topics. The first is a review of research showing the role of the mobile preservative component in the performance of treated wood in BC. In the second part the laboratory and field performance of fasteners and connectors in contact with preservative treated wood is discussed.