PSI - Issue 81

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ScienceDirect

Procedia Structural Integrity 81 (2026) 430–433

© 2026 The Authors. Copy from the contract: Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of DMDP 2025 organizers Keywords: wood, modification, epoxy resin, strength, load. 1. Introduction Wood is one of the oldest and most widely used structural materials (Gomon et al. (2022); Aleksiievets et al. (2024); Ivaniuk et al. (2025); Pavluk et al. (2024); Heidarzadeh et al. (2026); Homon et al. (2024)). One of its key mechanical properties is strength (Betts et al. (2010); Abed et al. (2022); Bula and Pelekh (2023); Homon et al. (2025); Pavluk et al. (2025); Gomon et al. (2024)). However, natural wood has several drawbacks, including anisotropy, sensitivity to moisture, and susceptibility to biological degradation (Datsiuk et al. (2024); Roshchuk et al. (2024); Thelanderson and Larsen (2003)). Therefore, a modern research trend focuses on wood modification (Hill (2007); Petric (2013)). Modification enab les targeted improvement of the material’s physical and mechanical properties (Yasniy et al. (2022); Homon et al. (2024)). Through chemical, thermal, and physical methods, the strength, durability, and dimensional stability of wood can be enhanced (Tsapko et al. (2023); Horbachova et al. (2022)), expanding its application under increased loads and adverse environmental conditions (Matviiuk et al. (2025); Bosak et al. (2021)). One of the two-component composites used for wood modification is epoxy resin (Moore et al. (2023) ; Márton and Kollo (2025); Han et al. (2024); Kosugi et al. (2025); Luo et al. (2024)). It exhibits relatively high mechanical properties (Feng et al. Abstract The methods for modifying coniferous wood by impregnation with epoxy resins were improved in research. Implementation of such methods increased the efficiency of interaction between the polymer composition and the wood structure. A comprehensive methodology for experimental research has been developed and thoroughly detailed. It encompasses sample preparation, autoclave treatment procedures, curing conditions for the modifying material, and the mechanical test procedure. Full-scale experiments revealed the deformation characteristics and performance of modified and unmodified softwood species – pine, larch, and spruce – accounting for differences in failure mechanisms. Obtaining experimental data on the behaviour of epoxy-modified wood specimens under compression along the grain allowed a more complete assessment of changes in strength compared to untreated samples. Autoclave modification significantly increases wood strength: by 1.29 times for pine, 1.21 times for larch, and 1.36 times for spruce, confirming the effectiveness of this technology for improving mechanical properties. VIII International Conference “In - service Damage of Materials: Diagnostics and Prediction“ (DMDP 2025) Mechanical characteristics of epoxy-modified wood: an experimental study Dmytro Y. Kysliuk a , Olha Homon a, *, Oleksandr Chapiuk a , Liudmyla Talakh a , Mykola Skrypnyk b , Tetiana Polishchuk-Herasymchuk b , Pavlo Sokil c , Leonid Kulakovskyi d a Lutsk National Technical University, Lvivska 75, 43018 Lutsk, Ukraine b National University of Water and Environmental Engineering, Soborna 11, 33000 Rivne, Ukraine c Ternopil Ivan Puluj National Technical University, Ruska 56, 46001 Ternopil, Ukraine d National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute", 03056 Peremogy Avenue 37, Kyiv, Ukraine

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +38-068-326-89-12; fax: +0-000-000-0000 . E-mail address: homon.oo@lutsk-ntu.com.ua

2452-3216 © 2026 The Authors. Copy from the contract: Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of DMDP 2025 organizers 10.1016/j.prostr.2026.03.074