Wood weathering phenomena have been previously studied extensively,since the changes in colour,appearance and surface integrity of exterior wood components present major shortcomings in building applications.Investigations of the weathering of wood very often involved observations of structural changes using SEM(Scanning Electron Microscopy)analysis(1,2,3,6,7,8).Microscopic observations can not quantify the degradation process and are not sensitive enough in detecting changes during early stages of photodegradation(unlike colour measurements and spectrophotometry).However,SEM technique can be combined with above mentioned methods and with the thin strip method,where highly accurate and reliable tensile strength measurements on microtomed surface sections are corroborated by microscopic evidence about the consequences of photo-induced surface degradation(8).
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