Publikasjoner
NIBIOs ansatte publiserer flere hundre vitenskapelige artikler og forskningsrapporter hvert år. Her finner du referanser og lenker til publikasjoner og andre forsknings- og formidlingsaktiviteter. Samlingen oppdateres løpende med både nytt og historisk materiale. For mer informasjon om NIBIOs publikasjoner, besøk NIBIOs bibliotek.
2026
Sammendrag
På 1940- og 50-tallet ble det plantet mye ny granskog i Nord-Norge. Denne skogen er nå i ferd med å bli hogstmoden. Spørsmålet har imidlertid lenge vært om nordnorsk grantømmer har tilstrekkelige styrkeegenskaper til bruk som trelast i bærende konstruksjoner. Ifølge nye undersøkelser foretatt av forskere ved NMBU og NIBIO er svaret ja.
Sammendrag
This study investigates the moisture-induced recovery of temporary property changes in thermo-mechanically densified (TMD) birch and aspen wood, compared to thermally modified (TM) wood. Both treatments were prepared under identical thermal conditions, differing only by compression in TMD. Dimensional stability, water vapour sorption, and Brinell hardness were assessed before and after repeated wetting and drying cycles to evaluate the effect of stress storage in the polymer matrix and its recovery during moisture exposure. The results indicate that both TMD and TM treatments induce a temporary reduction in moisture uptake, consistent with the formation of an annealed polymer structure. Water saturation and subsequent drying restored higher moisture content and reduced Brinell hardness in TMD wood, highlighting a moisture-driven recovery of the annealed polymer conformation. Notably, the decrease in hardness could not be attributed solely to the reduction in bulk density, indicating additional effects of polymer plasticisation. The presence of compression stresses during TMD appeared to enhance stress storage, thereby influencing the recovery of moisture-induced properties. Initial wood moisture content before TMD had little effect on the temporary reduction in moisture content, suggesting that annealing also occurs in dry states. These findings emphasise the need to account for moisture cycling in TMD wood’s service life. Future work should focus on the interplay between compression stresses and the annealing effect to reduce the temporary nature of the property improvements by TMD.
Sammendrag
Wood has many attractive material qualities, but it is susceptible to biological degradation by wood-decaying fungi. Moisture is one of the critical requirements for wood decay, but much remains unknown about moisture dynamics in decaying wood. To fill this knowledge gap, this study investigated moisture in Scots pine sapwood during decay caused by the brown rot fungus Coniophora puteana. Samples were exposed to decay in two time-series experiments; mass loss and moisture content were recorded over the course of decay, and the bound and free water populations in the samples were analysed using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LFNMR) relaxometry in both the decaying state and at full water saturation. Selected samples were also used for water vapour sorption measurements. The time-series decay tests showed that moisture content initially increased due to fungal activity but decreased over time when corrected for mass loss, contrary to the general belief that moisture content increases with decay. LFNMR revealed that bound water content increased on a decayed-mass basis in the decaying state and at saturation, but no increase was seen after correction for mass loss. Free water content followed gravimetric moisture content in the decaying state, but the saturated state measurements revealed an initial increase and subsequent decrease with mass loss. Degradation caused changes in hygroscopicity, but our data show that overall moisture content is regulated by fungal activity rather than by material properties. These findings highlight the complexity of water interactions during fungal degradation, offering valuable new insights into wood degradation mechanisms.
Forfattere
Gry Alfredsen Lone Ross Atle Wehn Hegnes Michael Altgen Andreas Treu Sverre Aarseth Tunstad Igor A. Yakovlev Mari Sand Austigard Johan Mattson Maria Paz Nunez Garcia Anne Cathrine Flyen Cecilie Flyen Trine Mathea Skjeltorp Nanna Bjerregaard PedersenSammendrag
Prosjektet «ArcticAlpineDecay» har undersøkt hvordan klimaendringer og økt menneskelig aktivitet påvirker trebasert kulturarv i arktiske og alpine miljøer, med fokus på Svalbard og Finse. Resultatene viser at lengre perioder med varme og fuktighet gir bedre vekstvilkår for råtesopper og øker risikoen for biologisk nedbrytning. Samtidig forsterker økt ferdsel slitasjen på sårbare kulturmiljøer, særlig på Svalbard hvor mange kulturminner er vanskelige å identifisere og tåler lite påvirkning. Fire faktorer øker risikoen for skader i kulturmiljøene: vanskelig lesbarhet, dårlig teknisk tilstand, spennende detaljer og høy tilgjengelighet. Det er funnet omfattende råte nær bakken, og DNA-analyser viser et stort mangfold av vednedbrytende sopper, inkludert arter som ikke tidligere er dokumentert i polarområder. Alvorlig soppnedbrytning oppstår etter rundt 50 år, noe som betyr at taubanebukker med eldre fundamenter nå er kritisk nært restaureringsbehov. For Finse og Hardangervidda er de største utfordringene økt bruk, manglende kunnskap og fysisk slitasje. Det anbefales økt informasjon til turister og guider, enkel fysisk tilrettelegging, bedre overvåking og kombinasjon av metoder for å avdekke både overflate- og indre råteskader, samt videre forskning.
Forfattere
Kristina Bringedal Gedde Georgios Triantafyllidis Alessio Miatto Lone Ross Lizhen Huang Daniel Beat MuellerSammendrag
Abstract The building sector accounts for a significant share of global material stocks and embodied greenhouse gas emissions. Material intensity (MI), defined as construction materials per unit floor area, is a key metric for understanding resource use and environmental performance. Existing approaches estimate MI for specific building types and cohorts but rarely explore additional factors that influence the structural element requirements. This study refines traditional methods by incorporating building geometry, number of floors, geographical context, construction methods, and regulatory changes, using Norwegian residential buildings as a case study. We focus on stud use in exterior walls to understand how their MI (kg/m 2 ) varies across buildings. Our correlation analysis reveals that construction year (ρ = 0.69) and energy efficiency standards (ρ = 0.51) are associated with higher MI of studs while building length shows a notable negative correlation (ρ = –0.38). Timber stud MI increases with footprint complexity and number of floors but decreases as building length and floor area grow. Snow load further contributes to increased stud MI. Studs' MI also varies across periods, reflecting changes in regulations and construction practices. These findings enhance our understanding of material use drivers in timber structures and provide a foundation for developing more nuanced building stock models to improve resource efficiency assessments and support targeted climate mitigation strategies.
Sammendrag
På 1900-tallet, og spesielt etter 1945, var det omfattende skogreising i Nord-Norge. Gran (Picea abies) var det mest vanlige treslaget å plante, men det ble også plantet andre arter, deriblant sitkagran (Picea sitchensis) og lutzgran (Picea x lutzii). Det er begrenset med undersøkelser av trelast av gran fra Nord-Norge, men en undersøkelse på 1980-tallet viste at trelasten hadde relativt svake styrkeegenskaper. Studier fra andre områder i Norge har vist at styrke og stivhet til konstruksjonsvirke blir bedre når trærne har høyere alder, og i dette prosjektet har vi studert trelast fra eldre bestand av gran i nord. I tillegg er det gjennomført en begrenset undersøkelse av trelast av lutzgran. Trelast av norsk gran ble samlet inn fra fire steder i Troms, fire steder i Salten og fire steder på Helgeland, og visuelt styrkesortert etter NS-INSTA 142 før densitet, e-modul og bøyefasthet ble testet i henhold til NS-EN 408. Tilsvarende undersøkelse ble gjennomført på trelast av lutzgran samlet inn fra tre steder i Lofoten og Vesterålen. Resultatene viste at gran fra Nord-Norge har høyere gjennomsnittlig densitet, e-modul og bøyefasthet enn det som ble funnet av Nagoda i 1985, og forskjellene er størst i Troms og Salten. Dette skyldes trolig at trærne i denne undersøkelsen er eldre, med mindre andel ungdomsved og smalere årringer, noe som gir høyere densitet og bedre mekaniske egenskaper. Sammenlignet med Sør-Norge er likevel gjennomsnittsverdiene lavere, noe som kan forklares med lavere temperatursum og dermed lavere densitet i nord. E-modul og bøyefasthet er positivt korrelert med densitet. Størst andel trelast havnet i sorteringsklasse T2 (51,1 %), mens T1 og T3 utgjorde henholdsvis 25,1 % og 21,8 %. Dette skiller resultatene fra studien til Nagoda, hvor det var en større andel i beste sorteringsklasse. Sorteringsutfallet er i stor grad avhengig av valg av prøvemateriale, og det er usikkert hvor representative materialene er for områdene. Gran sortert til T1 oppfyller kravene til fasthetsklasse C18. T2 eller T2 og bedre oppfyller kravene til C24. T3 oppfyller kravene til e-modul og bøyefasthet til C30, men ikke alltid kravet til densitet. Lutzgran hadde lavere gjennomsnittlig densitet enn gran fra Troms og Salten, men tilsvarende e-modul og bøyefasthet. Dette tyder på at lutzgran kan oppnå samme mekaniske egenskaper som gran, selv med raskere tilvekst og lavere densitet. Sorteringsutfallet for lutzgran viste høyere andel T1, lavere andel T3, og omtrent lik andel T2 sammenlignet med gran. Likevel oppnås tilsvarende mekaniske egenskaper, og Lutzgran sortert etter NS-INSTA-142 ser ut til å oppfylle kravene til fasthetsklassene som gjelder for sitkagran. Resultatene viste at sorteringsklasse T1 oppfyller kravene til C18 og sorteringsklasse T2 eller T2 og bedre oppfyller kravene til C24. Uttaket av lutzgran er begrenset til tre bestand i Lofoten og Vesterålen, og det bør testes trelast fra flere steder for å få et mer representativt materiale.
Sammendrag
This paper presents a comprehensive study on lightweight cement-bonded composites containing pulp sludge (PS). The objective of the study was to evaluate how the incorporation of perlite (a lightweight volcanic glass aggregate) and lime mud (a pulp mill residue) influences composites’ properties including mechanical strength, insulation and fire resistance. Up to 50% of the cement binder was replaced with PS (by mass), and small fractions of cement (5–15%) were replaced with perlite or lime mud. A suite of analytical techniques, material characterization and mechanical tests with digital image correlation (DIC) for strain analysis were employed. X-ray analysis showed that the aggregates influenced the composite properties to a considerable extent due to their particle sizes and ability to form hydrated gels with cement. Adding 5% of perlite or lime mud yields optimal strength without compromising weight reduction whereas higher aggregate content (15%) led to reduced strength. The DIC system provided insights into strain distribution during loading, confirming enhanced toughness from the fibrous PS. The composites were significantly lighter (732–749 kg/m3) and showed about 30% lower thermal conductivity (0.17 W/mK) than pure cement composites (0.25 W/mK). The normal incidence sound absorption of the composites was about 0.3 at mid-high frequencies due to their compact structure. The composites demonstrated potential for use as sustainable, lightweight construction materials with good acoustic and thermal insulation, as well as acceptable load-bearing capacity for non-structural applications based on EN 634-1/-2 requirements for cement-bonded particleboards.
Forfattere
Dafni Foti Stephen Amiandamhen Eleni Voulgaridou Elias Voulgaridis Costas Passialis Stergios AdamopoulosSammendrag
Abstract This study investigated the incorporation of various waste materials including wastepaper, Tetra Pak, wood chips and scrap tire fluff into flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum and cement mortar matrices to produce sustainable composite materials. Four distinct composite types based on the waste materials were developed and evaluated for selected properties including thermal and acoustic insulation. The proportion of the waste materials was varied between 10 and 40 vol% of the base matrix. The compressive strength of the filled gypsum composites was in the range of 4.17–10.39 N/mm² while the pure gypsum was 11.38 N/mm². The addition of the wastes in gypsum composites reduced compressive strength by about 10% for the best recipe and as large as 60% for the worst combination. However, the measured strength still exceeds the strength of typical gypsum wallboard with a compressive strength of about 3–4 N/mm² for whole-board crushing tests and it is much lower for point loads. The normal-incidence sound absorption coefficient indicated that the waste-filled samples absorbed around 80% of the incident sound energy between 2000 and 3000 Hz, comparable to some commercial acoustic foams. The results highlight the potential of utilising these waste-based composites in environmentally friendly construction applications. Depending on the waste type and matrix used, the results revealed trade-offs between multi-functional performance and sustainability benefits.
2025
Sammendrag
Tonnevis med fullt brukbare byggmaterialer havner på søpla. Snart får Kristiansand en ny ombrukshub.
Forfattere
Jostein Beseth NordeideSammendrag
In this study, the modulus of resilience, modulus of elasticity and density of structural timber from Norway Spruce (Picea Abies) from Nordland in Norway were studied. The main objectives were to assess whether structural timber from Nordland meets the requirements specified in the Norwegian standard NS-EN 338 when graded by using visual grading according to the Norwegian standard NS-INSTA 142, and to examine the variations. Timber was collected from 45 trees from five stands in Nordland. The logs were sawn into 411 planks, which were visually strength-graded in accordance with Norwegian standard NS-INSTA 142, and density, modulus of elasticity and modulus of resilience were tested following the standard EN 408. The test results were adjusted in accordance with Norwegian standard NS-EN 384, and characteristic values were calculated in accordance with Norwegian standard NS-EN 14358. The study found that sorting class T1 meets the requirements for strength class C18, sorting class T2 meets the requirements for C24, and class “T2 and better” meets the requirements for C24. However, spruce graded as T3 did not meet the requirements for C30 given in Norwegian standard NS-EN 338. Statistical models were developed, showing that visual and position- related variables such as knot diameter, relative height within the tree and annual ring width can explain the mechanical properties. Some of the models use forest-, tree-, and log-specific variables, requiring traceability of timber from forest to sawmill for these models to be implemented in sorting at the sawmill. The average values for density, modulus of elasticity and modulus of resilience in this study were lower than those found in studies of spruce from southern Norway. Nevertheless, the spruce from this study meets the requirements up to and including strength class C24 when visually strength-graded according to Norwegian standard NS-INSTA 142, approving a potential for using spruce from Nordland as structural timber.