Durability study on material of wooden panel elements used for the old living hut built in 1969 at Syowa Station, Antarctica

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine the durability of the old living hut built in 1969 at Syowa Station, Japan's permanent Antarctic observation facility, especially of its wooden panels. The hut, of high floor type wooden panel construction, was built in January 1969. To determine the durability, part of the hut, which was brought back to Japan after 30 years, was rebuilt, then taken apart again under controlled test conditions. Tests included visual observation, testing of the wooden material, and testing of the performance of the thermal insulation material. The results showed that the material in the roof panels deteriorated considerably more than that in the walls and floors. In the severe polar conditions, the strength of the overall structure depends heavily on the joints between panels. It is clear that material on the indoor sides, and in the interiors of the panels, hardly deteriorated at all after 30 years.