Field testing of our products and wood protection processes

Field testing of our products and wood protection processes

The quality of our products is continuously and systematically monitored and verified through field and laboratory performance tests, some of which have been ongoing for more than a decade. Testing of our products is carried out by domestic research institutions such as the Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana and the Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute (ZAG), as well as by a number of international independent research institutions around the world, such as the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und Prüfung – BAM (Germany), Bangor University (Wales, UK), the BioComposites Centre (Wales, UK), the Berner Fachhochschule – Architektur (Switzerland), College of Forestry –
Oregon State University (Oregon, USA) and many others.

The following tests have been crucial in the development of our products and services:

Model facility for monitoring the lifetime of wood – Slovenia

In the past, numerous tests have been carried out to test the resistance of wood protected with our products and processes, ranging from laboratory tests to soil and seawater tests. Since 2013, under the auspices of the Department of Wood Science & Technology at the Biotechnical Faculty at the University of Ljubljana, we have also been testing our preservatives on a model facility to monitor the service life of wood, treated by our products and technologies.

A number of parameters that affect the life span of wood products and their quality and functionality (e.g., temperature, humidity, weather conditions, wood decomposition, etc.) are monitored and analyzed using 150 measuring points on the facility’s façade cladding, wooden flooring, wooden roofing, as well as on the facility’s doors and windows and the facility as a whole.

The facility showcases 22 different types of wood materials and 850 Silvaprodukt wood samples, protected with our preservatives and treatments, namely:

The facility also has built-in windows and doors by company M SORA, which are made from thermally modified wood according to the Silvapro® process. The proven lower thermal conductivity of Silvapro® wood is reflected in the window frame temperature measurements and thermal imaging of the facility. The increased resistance and dimensional stability of Silvapro® treated wood also results in a longer service life of such windows and doors. 

Building contractors, wooden house builders as well as other parties can use this facility to check how our products and the treated wood elements behave over time. The project was co-funded by the Slovenian Research Agency 

Testing the effectiveness of our Silvaroyal® wood preservative in the sea – Slovenia

Silvaroyal® has also been tested and proven to be effective in the Adriatic Sea, which is an extremely aggressive and destructive environment for all unprotected wood species due to its characteristics and biodiversity. The results of the test, carried out in accordance with the European standard EN 275, showed that even aggressive marine pests could not damage samples that had previously been adequately protected with our Silvaroyal® primary wood preservative. The pictures clearly show the difference between protected (after 4.5 years) and unprotected (after only 6 months) wood samples after exposure in the sea!

Unprotected LARCH sample after 6 months of exposure and SPRUCE sample protected with Silvaroyal® primary preservative after 4.5 years of exposure.

A number of parameters that affect the lifetime of wood products and their quality and functionality (e.g. temperature, humidity, weather conditions, wood decomposition, etc.) are monitored and analysed at 150 measuring points on the building’s façade cladding, wooden soffits, wooden roofing, as well as on the joinery and the building as a whole (e.g. temperature, humidity, weather conditions, wood decomposition, etc.).

The building showcases 22 different types of wood materials and 850 samples of Silvaprodukt wood, protected with our preservatives and treatments, namely:

• Silvanolin® – our internationally patented water-based wood preservative primer,
• Silvapro® – our patented process for protecting wood in a completely natural way, using only heat treatment, without the addition of chemicals,
• Silvacera® – A purely natural surface coating with an outstanding water-repellent effect, designed for the surface and decorative protection of wood.

The building also features M SORA joinery, which is made from thermally modified timber using the Silvapro® process. The proven lower thermal conductivity of Silvapro® wood is reflected in window frame temperature measurements and thermal imaging of the building. The increased resistance and dimensional stability of Silvapro® treated timber also results in a longer service life of such joinery.

Building contractors, timber house manufacturers and other customers can use this facility to see how our products and the timber they protect behave over time. The project was co-funded by the Slovenian Research Agency.

Field testing of our SilvanolinSilvaroyal® preservative in constant contact with soil – Slovenia

More than 5000 small specimens have been exposed in different locations around the world (Ig – Slovenia, Ljubljana – Slovenia, Hannover – Germany, Corvallis – Oregon, USA, …) in accordance with the European standard EN 252. One of the test fields is at our production site in Ig near Ljubljana. Testing has been conducted in the natural environment for more than 10 years. The specimens are regularly examined by the Department of Wood Science and Technology, Biotchnical Faculty University of Ljubljana. These tests have proved that SilvanolinSilvaroyal® provides a very efficient long-term protection for wood in constant contact with soil, exposed to all outdoor conditions! Testing in this test field started in September 2009 and is still in progress!

Test field of the Department of Wood Science & Technology, Faculty of Biotechnics, Ljubljana – Slovenia

For more than 10 years, field testing of our wooden samples in accordance with EN 252 and the Double Layer Test has been carried out at the test field of the Biotechnical Faculty in Ljubljana. In this extensive and varied test field, our company tests its solutions for the effective protection of wood against wood pests under realistic conditions and with different forms of accelerated ageing. A certain part of the specimens is connected to our own electronic monitoring system, which allows us to continuously observe and measure various parameters, enabling us to accurately determine the progress of wood decay. The wooden beams carrying the testing specimens, which are not protected with our SilvanolinSilvaroyal® primary wood preservative, are at the end of their service life, while all control unprotected samples had completely rotted and decomposed after 5 years. However, specimen protected with SilvanolinSilvaroyal® are completely intact even after more than 10 years of exposure. Testing in this field started in April 2009 and is still in progress!

Testing of Silvanolin® against drywood termites – Germany

Silvanolin® has been tested at the BAM Institute (Bundesanstalt für Materialforchung und – prüfung, Berlin, Germany) to prove its effectiveness against drywood termites according to the European standard EN 117.

The test proved that our Silvanolin® wood preservative also effectively protects against drywood termites when properly applied.

Testing with COST 1303 test table with Silvaprodukt materials – Europe

The test table COST FP 1303 with Silvaprodukt materials (thermally modified wood using our patented Silvapro® process and vacuum-pressure impregnated specimens with our patented SilvanolinSilvaroyal® wood preservative) is being tested in more than 30 locations worldwide (locations are shown on the map below), including more than 20 locations in Europe (locations are shown on the map below), covering the full diversity of climatic zones of the old continent. The test tables are equipped with sensors to monitor humidity, temperature, wood decomposition and other variables that provide us with qualitative feedback on the performance of our products and services troughout time. Testing is still in progress.

University of Oregon test field – U.S.A.

Silvaprodukt has more than 6,000 test specimens of wood protected with our products and protection processes, spread over various locations around the world. One of the institutions that tests our samples is the University of Oregon in the United States.