European Journal of Wood and Wood Products最新文献

{"title":"Effect of steaming on the deformation behavior of fiberboards","authors":"Beate Buchelt,&nbsp;Robert Krüger,&nbsp;Alexander Pfriem,&nbsp;Jan Herold","doi":"10.1007/s00107-026-02485-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00107-026-02485-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The limited deformation capacity of wood-based materials restricts their application in creating double-curved structures. To achieve single-layer double-curved structures, permanent plastic deformations are necessary to fix the deformation. To capture the complex deformation behavior of a double-curved structure in a realizable test setup, tensile tests based on strain measurement were conducted. This study investigates how steaming and subsequent drying affect deformation behavior of cut-out patterned high-density fiberboards (HDF). A lattice auxetic cut-out pattern was applied to 3 mm Fundermax Biofiber panels. Results indicate that steaming increases the residual strain, with 65–70% of the strain remaining after 24 h of recovery. The residual strain was confirmed after 14 days. Drying under load further enhances this residual strain, converting up to 90% of the strain into a residual plastic state. In contrast, dry samples exhibited primarily elastic strain, with no residual strain. The findings demonstrate that steaming and controlled drying under load can fix the deformation, enabling the production of single-layer double-curved panels.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":550,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Wood and Wood Products","volume":"84 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00107-026-02485-3.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148927312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Experimental and numerical analysis of the cyclic bending performance of white oak mortise-and-tenon joints: effects of tenon geometry and joint fit","authors":"Keyang Liu,&nbsp;Luyao Xiang,&nbsp;Xiaohong Hu,&nbsp;Tiantian Zhang,&nbsp;Yang Gao,&nbsp;Wanyu Zhang,&nbsp;Li Li,&nbsp;Bin Luo","doi":"10.1007/s00107-026-02486-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00107-026-02486-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Mortise-and-tenon (M-T) joints experience repeated service loads, yet the effects of tenon dimensions and joint fit on their cyclic response remain insufficiently characterized. This study combined an unreplicated L9(34) orthogonal screening experiment on T-shaped oval M-T joints made of commercial white oak (Quercus spp.) with a finite element analysis of L9 configuration No. 2 under repeated quasi-static loading. In the experiment, sinusoidal bending with a maximum load of 850 N was applied for 4,000 cycles. The measured outcomes were cycle-by-cycle stiffness evolution, stiffness at the 400th and 4,000th cycles, hysteretic energy, residual deformation, and maximum deformation. Absolute stiffness histories, calculated consistently from the complete load and pressure-head displacement range of each recorded cycle, showed that Configuration 5 decreased from 339.56 kN/m at cycle 400 to 196.59 kN/m at cycle 4,000 and Configuration 6 decreased from 253.62 to 228.84 kN/m, whereas the endpoint changes of the other seven individual joints did not exceed 2.64 kN/m. Descriptive factor-level means indicated that the 40 mm tenon-length level was associated with lower residual and maximum deformation than the 30 and 35 mm levels, whereas the 35 mm tenon-width level had the highest mean stiffness at the 4,000th cycle. Most exploratory analyses of variance were non-significant, and the small unreplicated design precludes confirmatory inference. The FE model localized stress, strain, and equivalent plastic strain near the tenon shoulder, but its reaction force differed substantially from the experimental response and it lacked a cycle-dependent fatigue law. The FE model is therefore not quantitatively validated; its results are used only for qualitative localization and cannot predict fatigue life or fatigue-crack-growth rate. The experimental results identify candidate geometric trends for subsequent replicated testing rather than definitive design optima.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":550,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Wood and Wood Products","volume":"84 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148926888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Withdrawal behavior of innovatively coated ring-shank nails and scrails in CLT: experimental evaluation and implications for design values","authors":"Aygül Ceylan,&nbsp;Fatih Kurul,&nbsp;Nusret As,&nbsp;Z. Canan Girgin","doi":"10.1007/s00107-026-02480-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00107-026-02480-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Understanding withdrawal behavior is essential to characterize wood-fastener interactions that influence the connection performance of timber structures. In this study, the withdrawal performance of innovatively coated fasteners, namely ring-shank nails (RNs) with resin, phosphate, hybrid resin-phosphate coatings and galvanized-diamond coated scrails (SRs), was investigated in three-layer cross-laminated timber (CLT) specimens prepared separately from black pine and fir. This study is the first comparative experimental assessment on the withdrawal performance of resin-phosphate RNs and galvanized-diamond-coated SRs, encompassing the combined effects of coating type, fastener geometry, and wood density on withdrawal capacity and initial stiffness. A comprehensive test program involving 420 conditioned CLT specimens was conducted. The fasteners were driven perpendicular to the grain, and monotonic withdrawal tests were performed in accordance with EN 1382. Among the RNs, the hybrid resin–phosphate coated RN (RN-PR-1) attained the highest withdrawal load (<i>F</i>_<i>max</i>), reaching 2.63 kN in black pine and 2.53 kN in fir specimens, as well as the highest withdrawal strength (<i>f</i>_<i>ax</i>) in both wood species. The SRs generally had greater initial stiffness (<i>K</i>_<i>ax</i>) than RNs owing to their distinctive shank geometry. Additionally, most current design models underestimated the experimental withdrawal capacities up to 68.6%. Accordingly, fastener-specific log-log regression equations (Model 7 for RNs and Model 8 for SRs) were developed, with very good agreement between predicted and experimental values (<i>R</i>^<i>2</i> ≥ 0.90). These models may contribute to future revisions of Eurocode 5 and related timber design standards.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":550,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Wood and Wood Products","volume":"84 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148926468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Artificial neural networks as a decision-support system for predicting the quality attributes of thermally modified wood","authors":"Özlem BOZKURT,&nbsp;Günay ÖZBAY","doi":"10.1007/s00107-026-02478-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00107-026-02478-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Thermal modification represents a key, environmentally safe method to enhance the dimensional stability and biological resistance of timber. However, the complex, non-linear interactions among coupled hydrothermal process variables often render traditional linear empirical models inadequate. This study addresses this limitation by developing a robust multi-objective decision-support model driven by a Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) Artificial Neural Network (ANN). A curated meta-dataset comprising 200 validated experimental data points from peer-reviewed literature (2000–2025) was compiled across softwood and hardwood species. The proposed MLP framework integrates five input parameters (Wood Taxa/Species Type, Density, Temperature, Duration, and Medium) to simultaneously forecast three primary quality attributes: Mass Loss (<span>(:ML)</span>), Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC), and Modulus of Rupture loss (<span>(:{Delta:}text{MOR})</span>). Rigorous 5-fold cross-validation on an unseen independent test set (<span>(:n=40)</span>) yielded high predictive fidelity (<span>(:{R}^{2}&gt;0.925)</span> across all outputs), outperforming baseline Multiple Linear Regression (MLR, <span>(:{R}^{2}=0.695text{--}0.742)</span>), Support Vector Regression (SVR), and Random Forest (RF) algorithms. A SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) model interpretability analysis pinpointed treatment temperature (<span>(:49.5%)</span>) and processing duration (<span>(:27.9%)</span>) as the primary kinetic drivers of cell-wall thermochemical degradation. This computational framework provides an accurate virtual prototyping tool for smart timber manufacturing, eliminating destructive sampling while respecting established operational boundaries.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":550,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Wood and Wood Products","volume":"84 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148928095","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Performance of Eucalyptus clones in growth and wood quality under contrasting climatic conditions for kraft pulp production","authors":"Sâmara Magdalene Vieira Nunes,&nbsp;Stéffany Lima Araujo,&nbsp;Vaniele Bento dos Santos,&nbsp;Thayanne Caroline Castor Neto,&nbsp;Renata Guilherme Candido da Silva,&nbsp;Érica Patrícia Pinto Queiroz,&nbsp;Bruno Sangali Arantes,&nbsp;Aguinaldo José de Sousa,&nbsp;Jorge Gominho,&nbsp;Ana Lourenço,&nbsp;Duarte Miranda Neiva,&nbsp;José Eduardo Macedo Pezzopane,&nbsp;Maria Naruna Félix de Almeida,&nbsp;Graziela Baptista Vidaurre","doi":"10.1007/s00107-026-02479-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00107-026-02479-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study evaluated how contrasting climatic conditions across three sites in Brazil affect growth, basic density, and wood chemical composition of five young <i>Eucalyptus</i> clones. Analyses included mean annual increment, biomass production, basic density, extractives content, total lignin, hemicellulose, alpha-cellulose, ash content, and the syringyl-to-guaiacyl (S/G) lignin ratio. Higher water availability at the SP site (lowest water deficit) and the BA site (intermediate water availability) promoted greater wood biomass accumulation, whereas the environment with the highest water deficit (MA) resulted in increased basic density. The responses of chemical traits were dependent on the genetic material, with extractives content being the most unstable variable across environments. Among climatic variables, only temperature was positively correlated with basic density, which influenced the specific wood consumption (SWC), showing an inverse relationship with basic density. The results indicate that genetic improvement programs may help reduce variability in the most sensitive properties (particularly extractives), thereby decreasing environmental heterogeneity that can compromise the predictability of kraft pulping performance.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":550,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Wood and Wood Products","volume":"84 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00107-026-02479-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148838178","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Adhesive penetration analysis in birch plywood using X-ray densitometry","authors":"Ramesh Karri,&nbsp;Andreas Treu,&nbsp;Anna Koski,&nbsp;Erik Larnøy,&nbsp;Simo Koponen","doi":"10.1007/s00107-026-02474-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00107-026-02474-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Non-destructive and rapid analysis of adhesive penetration in engineered wood products ensures bond integrity, enabling the development of novel adhesives and quality manufacturing. The present study evaluated the X-ray densitometry method for studying the adhesive penetration in birch plywood. In this approach, it was quantified as a function of distance by measuring the X-ray density profile section where the adhesive bond-line density was above the baseline wood density. Accordingly, untreated and esterified birch veneers were pressed into plywood using both liquid and solid-type phenolic adhesives, resulting in four types of five-layered plywood of 7-8 mm in thickness. Optimization of X-ray beam attenuation through the plywood was done by preliminary trials and identified the specimen dimensions as 50 mm in height and 25 mm in width using a scanning speed of 0.5 mm min<span>(^{-1})</span>. The X-ray densitometry measured densities of cured phenolic adhesive to be 1150 ± 50 kg m<span>(^{-3})</span> and esterification-modified birch plywood to be 750 ± 25 kg m<span>(^{-3})</span>. These density values are consistent with gravimetric density measurements. Density profile observations indicate that both liquid and solid forms of phenolic adhesives exhibited similar levels of adhesive penetration in plywood. X-ray densitometry analysis determined a total interphase thickness ranging from 0.50 to 0.75 mm, encompassing the central adhesive bond-line and the effective adhesive penetration into both adjacent veneers. These values are comparable with those measurements obtained from microscopy imaging analysis. Therefore, X-ray densitometry could be a swift method for quantifying adhesive penetration, although further studies are needed to validate its accuracy and reliability.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":550,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Wood and Wood Products","volume":"84 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00107-026-02474-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148837539","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Adhesive bonding quality of cross-laminated timber made of thermally modified and unmodified wood","authors":"Abasali Masoumi,&nbsp;Brian H. Bond,&nbsp;Daniel P. Hindman,&nbsp;Audrey Zink Sharp,&nbsp;William Nguegang Nkeuwa","doi":"10.1007/s00107-026-02481-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00107-026-02481-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Thermally modified wood (TMW) is increasingly considered for outer laminations in cross-laminated timber (CLT), but its adhesive bonding quality under varying manufacturing conditions remains poorly understood and necessitates further investigation. The goal of this research was to optimize the manufacturing process for incorporating thermally modified wood into CLT, with a particular focus on adhesive bonding performance. To achieve this, the authors evaluated how different bonding pressures (0.21, 0.50, 0.70, 1.03, and 1.40 MPa) influence the quality of 1 C-PUR adhesive bonds in CLT panels made from thermally modified and unmodified yellow-poplar (YP). The specific objectives were to quantify the effects of pressure on shear strength and wood failure percentage (WFP); characterize adhesive line thickness and penetration behavior through microscopy; and identify an optimal bonding pressure suitable for commercial-scale manufacturing of CLT panels containing TMW. Hybrid CLT panels, consisting of TMW and unmodified YP layers, were prepared and compared with control panels made of unmodified wood. Block shear tests were conducted to measure shear strength and WFP, while microscopy assessed bondline quality. Unmodified samples exhibited substantially greater shear strength, approximately 1.5 to 2 times that of TMW, at 0.70 to 1.40 MPa. In contrast, TMW specimens showed predominantly wood failure (90–100% WFP), whereas unmodified wood demonstrated 60–95% WFP across 0.21 to 1.40 MPa. TMW exhibited 100% WFP at pressures from 0.48 to 1.40 MPa; however, shear strength declined with increasing pressure, indicating potential pressure-related cell damage or collapse that was not evident under light microscopy. Conversely, in unmodified wood, higher pressure resulted in increased shear strength. Unmodified wood also exhibited markedly greater adhesive penetration, approximately 5.4 to 5.6 times that of TMW, at 0.70 to 1.40 MPa. As pressure increased, the adhesive line thickness decreased while penetration increased; however, with rising pressure, the rate of maximum penetration growth slowed, whereas effective penetration continued to rise. Overall, the results identify 0.70 MPa as the optimal bonding pressure for TMW-CLT, where adhesive penetration stabilizes and shear strength remains maximized, offering a clear manufacturing parameter for commercial production.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":550,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Wood and Wood Products","volume":"84 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00107-026-02481-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148837707","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Valorization of pine sawdust into solid fuels via additive-assisted hydrothermal carbonization","authors":"Basak Karakurt Cevik,&nbsp;Merve Nazli Borand","doi":"10.1007/s00107-026-02477-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00107-026-02477-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Valorization of waste biomass offers a sustainable pathway to reduce environmental impacts, enhance energy security, and promote circular economy principles. Pine sawdust, an abundant lignocellulosic byproduct of the wood industry, can be upgraded via hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) into energy-dense hydrochar. This study investigates the effects of three biomass-derived organic additives, such as furfural, lactic acid, and glycerol, on the HTC of pine sawdust to improve hydrochar fuel quality. HTC was conducted at 180 °C, 200 °C, and 220 °C, with 220 °C selected for additive-assisted trials at 10% and 20% (v/v). Comprehensive characterization included proximate/ultimate analyses, higher heating value (HHV), FTIR, and thermogravimetric analysis to assess structural and combustion properties. Furfural and lactic acid demonstrated the most substantial enhancements in hydrochar quality. Hydrochar produced at 220 °C with a 20% (v/v) furfural addition yielded the highest hydrochar recovery (144.04%) due to polymerization and surface deposition, while significantly increasing the carbon content (63.92%) and HHV (23.38 MJ/kg). Lactic acid maximized fixed carbon (43.48%) and achieved the lowest oxygen content (22.53%), producing lignite-like hydrochars with improved energy density (up to 1.47). Both additives lowered O: C and H: C ratios, increased ignition and burnout temperatures, and enhanced thermal stability compared to additive-free HTC. These results highlight the potential of renewable organic additives, particularly furfural and lactic acid, to tailor hydrochar physicochemical and combustion characteristics, enabling the production of high-quality solid biofuels from waste biomass through an environmentally friendly process.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":550,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Wood and Wood Products","volume":"84 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148837557","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Low-field NMR method on determining water absorption diversity between bamboo nodes and internodes","authors":"Ge-Le Zhu,&nbsp;Tian-Yun Gan,&nbsp;Xiao-Yi Ren,&nbsp;Yong-Ze Jiang,&nbsp;Wen-Yan Wang,&nbsp;Rui-Yuan He,&nbsp;Yu-Mei Feng,&nbsp;Li-Qing Chen,&nbsp;Jiu-Long Xie,&nbsp;Jin-Qiu Qi","doi":"10.1007/s00107-026-02473-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00107-026-02473-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Exploring the water status during the water absorption process in different parts of the moso bamboo is crucial to understand the mechanism of water absorption in bamboo. This study used low-field NMR (LF-NMR) to analyze the quantitative spatiotemporal differences in water distribution between the nodes and internodes of moso bamboo. During the water loss process, the orderly vascular bundles for internodes created straight pores, leading to longer free water relaxation time (T2 = 18 ms) than that for the nodes (T2 = 10 ms), with distinct separation of bound and free water peaks. The interwoven vascular bundles at the nodes increased heterogeneity pore heterogeneity, caused overlapping of water relaxation peaks, which resulted in a higher proportion of free water. The thermal treatment (200 °C, 4 h) reduced the free water relaxation peak area in the internodes from 45.61 to 19.37, decreased the moisture content by 20%-26%. Thermal treatment also lowered the moisture content of the bamboo nodes by 11%. This was primarily achieved by reducing hydrophilic hydroxyl groups and promoting lignin cross-linking to enhance hydrophobicity. FTIR spectra showed that after thermal treatment, the intensity of the O-H stretching vibration peak (3400 cm⁻¹) decreased, and the number of C = O and C-O groups reduced, confirming that thermal treatment altered the functional group composition to regulate the water absorption properties of bamboo.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":550,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Wood and Wood Products","volume":"84 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148837708","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effects of fungal decay on timber connections: a systematic review","authors":"Camilo Montoya,&nbsp;Jeffrey J. Morrell,&nbsp;L. M. Ottenhaus,&nbsp;Tripti Singh,&nbsp;Luis Yermán","doi":"10.1007/s00107-026-02460-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00107-026-02460-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Connections are critical for the integrity of timber structures, yet they are highly susceptible to reduced capacity due to moisture intrusion and subsequent fungal decay. While the effects of decay on clear wood are well documented, the impacts on the mechanical performance of connections remain comparatively underexplored, particularly during early decay stages (&lt; 10% wood mass loss), when substantial reductions in wood strength can occur. This literature review consolidated the current state of the art, identified methodological inconsistencies, and defined key knowledge gaps in the study of fungal decay on timber connections. A systematic search of academic databases identified laboratory studies investigating the effects of fungal decay on timber connections. The review revealed substantial variability in experimental methodologies, including wood species, fastener types, sterilisation methods, and decay quantification techniques, which complicates direct comparisons between studies. The review showed a critical need for standardised protocols to isolate the effects of decay from confounding variables like moisture content and sterilisation pre-treatments. Based on these identified gaps, it is recommended to improve future testing approaches and enable more reliable evaluation of decay effects on connection performance. These insights support the development of durability-focused research, design guidance and predictive models for the long-term performance of timber connections.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":550,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Wood and Wood Products","volume":"84 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00107-026-02460-y.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148783154","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}