Effect of seasonal changes on the combustion characteristics of impregnated cedar (Cedrus libani A. Rich.) wood

Wood is an irreplaceable material used as decorative and structural element both indoors and outdoors. When used as a structural material, wood has several superior characteristics in comparison to other structural constituents, although it is adversely affected by fires as well as biotic pests and abiotic effects. In this study, cedar (Cedrus libani A. Rich.) wood samples were impregnated using either Tanalith-E or Wolmanit-CB as detailed in ASTM-D 1413-76 and surface-treated using water-based or synthetic varnish. The impregnated and varnished samples were left outdoors with the aim of investigating the effect of seasonal changes. The samples were later subjected to combustion analysis as detailed in the combustion test standard ASTM-E 160-50. The results of the study indicated that the weight loss was lower during winter (87.82%), for samples that were impregnated using Wolmanit-CB (88.90%) and those that were treated with synthetic varnish (88.45%). On the other hand the O2 and CO2 contents were determined to be the highest in fall during combustion without flame (18.16% and 17.96%, respectively); the CO content was the highest during combustion without flame for the winter samples (28,907 ppm) and the NO content was the highest during combustion without flame for the spring samples (76.15 ppm). In conclusion, the winter samples that were impregnated using Wolmanit-CB and treated with synthetic varnish were determined to be safer to employ in areas with high fire risk.