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High-resolution X-ray imaging and analysis of coatings on and in wood

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Abstract

Wood coatings are widely used for aesthetic and protective reasons. Assessment of coating performance during service life is crucial in order to establish a knowledge database for product optimization. A vast amount of techniques is available for analysis of a coating’s behavior of which microimaging is an important tool. In addition to standard microscopy techniques, high-resolution X-ray tomography is presented as a modality offering nondestructive visualization of a coating and the substrate on which it is applied. Combined with analysis of the 3D volumetric data, surface roughness, structure and thickness of the coating layer, penetration depth and related mechanical anchoring can be studied in relation with the underlying substrate. To provide a clear illustration of the possibilities and limitations of this technique, both an opaque solventborne and an opaque waterborne coating applied on two different wood types were scanned and analyzed. Clearly, three-dimensional X-ray imaging at high resolution produces valuable information merely by visualization. Moreover, by proper analysis, quantitative data are obtained taking into account the limitations of X-ray computed tomography and of automated image processing.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders (Belgium—FWO) for the postdoctoral funding granted to the first author.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Wood Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Jan Van den Bulcke & Joris Van Acker

  2. Department for Subatomic and Radiation Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, Proeftuinstraat 86, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Matthieu Boone & Luc Van Hoorebeke

Authors
  1. Jan Van den Bulcke
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  2. Matthieu Boone
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  3. Joris Van Acker
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  4. Luc Van Hoorebeke
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Correspondence to Jan Van den Bulcke.

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Van den Bulcke, J., Boone, M., Van Acker, J. et al. High-resolution X-ray imaging and analysis of coatings on and in wood. J Coat Technol Res 7, 271–277 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11998-009-9182-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11998-009-9182-4

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