Preservative treatment evaluation of five Appalachian wood species with four preservatives

Hardwoods have been used extensively throughout the years for many uses. In the last century, wood railway tie and bridge material has been treated almost exclusively with the preservative creosote in order to improve durability. This has led to the knowledge that hardwoods treated with creosote are extremely durable. However, there have been few well documented studies of what has been termed "treatability". This work investigated and documented the treatability of five common and abundant Appalachian hardwoods vacuum/pressure treated with the four wood preservatives creosote, chromated copper arsenate (CCA), ammoniacal copper quaternary compound Type-B (ACQ-B), and a borate preservative (TmborRTM). These preservatives were chosen because the first two are the most commonly used wood preservatives in the US. The latter two were included as possible alternative treatment for the former two. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...