The objectives of this study are: (1) to evaluate the effect of reference
displacement on wall behavior under fully reversed cyclic loading using the
CUREE test protocol and (2) to assess damage accumulation (visible fastener
damage and stiffness degradation) for the imposed drift levels. All tests were
conducted on identical...
Copper is an excellent biocide which has a long history of usage for protecting wood from deterioration, but some organisms have developed tolerance for this chemical. Copper tolerance among wood decay fungi is a poorly understood phenomenon that is gaining importance as cofactors such as arsenic and chromium are removed...
Friction dampers have been used successfully to dissipate seismic
energy in steel and concrete structures. The application is new to timber
structures. The objectives of this research were to design a slotted bolted
connection (SBC) and evaluate its potential as a passive energy damper in
timber brace.
The research was...
Every wood anatomist knows that the wood near the center of a tree (juvenile wood) differs from the wood laid down at some distance from the pith (mature wood), and that the wood produced during the spring (earlywood) differs from the wood produced during the summer (latewood). There is a...
Torsion test was evaluated as a method to determine the shear strength
parallel to grain of full-size structural composite lumber (SCL). Experimental
results of eighty-five rectangular (44 x 140 mm²) specimens were verified by finite
element analysis. Laminated strand lumber (LSL), laminated veneer lumber
(LVL) and parallel strand lumber (PSL)...
The internal structure of natural fiber composites can be manipulated by controlling the spatial distribution of fiber orientation and internal chemical and thermodynamic conditions during their consolidation. Objects highly tailored to specific service demands may thereby be produced. Techniques to form miniature structural beams from oriented hemp and random wood...
An increment core-based, laboratory method was used to measure tissue-level respiration under controlled temperature (termed respiratory potential) of eleven tree species from three age classes. Respiratory potential was calculated on a basis of core dry-mass, volume, carbon, or nitrogen content and live bole volume. Methods tests suggested that core carbon...
Supercritical fluid (SCF) impregnation is a promising preservative treatment method, however, the development of SCF processes has been slowed by a limited understanding of the process. Developing a better understanding of the effects of various process parameters on treatment results would allow for a more rational development of SCF impregnation....
When Douglas-fir and red alder grow in mixture, interactions between the two species can be competitive, facilitative, or a combination of both over time. A number of factors have recently led to increased interest in managing these two species together for commercial production, and ongoing investigations are yielding important information...
Wood adhesives are essential components of wood composites. At
present, the commonly used wood adhesives, phenol-formaldehyde (PF)
and urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins, are petroleum-based synthetic resins
that may result in emission of formaldehyde in the production and use of
wood composites. Because the world's oil reserves are naturally limited
and formaldehyde...
The objective of this study was to determine the effect of misplaced hold-downs
on the static and cyclic behavior of wood shear walls. Three shear wall
configurations were considered in this study. The first configuration (control) had
hold-downs at the ends of the wall (wall type 1), the second configuration...
This research studied the effects of changing from a traditional manufacturing
system to a cell manufacturing system in a value-added wood products company.
Discrete event simulation was used to describe the current system and the proposed
new systems. Parts were separated into part families that shared similar processing
requirements. From...
Softwood plywood is one of the structural wood products studied in the CORRIM
II effort to document the environmental performance of wood product in residential
structures. Life-cycle inventory (LCI) models were developed to provide performance
data for plywood production by tracking all of its inputs and outputs in a gate-to-gate...
In recent years, log structures have been marketed as an alternative
to conventional light-frame wood structures. Log structures are constructed
using round timbers (or manufactured timbers) that are stacked vertically
and have interlocking corners. Thru-rods and lag screws are used to
provide inter-log connections. This project was conducted to evaluate...
The objective of this study is to complete life cycle inventories (LCI) for laminated veneer lumber (LVL) and composite I-joist (I-joist) production in the two main forest products producing regions in the U.S., the Pacific Northwest (PNW) and Southeast (SE). LVL and I-joists are composite wood building materials that are...
Engineering analysis of heavy timber structures under dynamic loads
is generally lacking. Some literature suggests that heavy timber structures
are stiffer than expected, but popular engineering opinion is to the contrary.
In addition, prior research has shown that passive friction dampers can be
used in timber structures for the intended...
Current lathe technology, smaller diameter logs, smaller core diameters, and
the sale of higher grade veneer for use in engineered wood products are all factors
contributing to plywood manufacturers using rougher veneer with different lathe
check characteristics. When rough veneer is encountered, plywood manufacturers
typically increase the adhesive spread rate...
In investigating wood treatment as a possible processing option for Alaska forest products manufacturers, the double-diffusion method using sodium fluoride followed by a copper sulfate appeared to be the most advantageous approach. Yet, little information was available as to the chemical retention after treating and its resistance to leaching. Green...
The objective of this research is to use a three-dimensional (3D) analysis
method to include 'system effects' directly in the design of light-frame roof truss
assemblies. The goal of this study is to develop an improved and practical method to
determine the structural performance of 3D roof truss assemblies used...
This study examined the decay resistance of the pine and maple components of wood plastic composites (WPC' s) of varying thicknesses exposed on several culture media to wood decay fungi under laboratory conditions. The ability of malt agar extract (MEA), potato dextrose agar (PDA), amended basal salts, sawdust (maple and...
This study examined the relationship of interfacial shear strength (IFSS) and
bending strength (MOR) of several different wood-plastic composites (WPC's).
Plastics utilized were high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP).
Pine and oak were used as the wood species. Compatibilizers used included maleicanhydride
polyethylene (MAPE), polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (PMDI),
KymeneTM,...
Many publications, documents, codes and guidelines exist related to the seismic evaluation and rehabilitation design of existing buildings. This report discusses the assumptions and methods employed for investigation of two wood structures using four references: FEMA 154, FEMA 356, ASCEI per SEI 31, and 1997 UBC. The screening performed using...
While microbial colonization of wood is presumed to be characterized by a myriad of interactions between numerous organisms, studying these processes is often difficult owing to the opaque nature of the wood and the inability to readily distinguish among the many species colonizing the material. One method for enhancing the...
Service life prediction models for light-framed wood structures require an extensive quantity of empirical data on deterioration pathologies for the numerous structural components, as well as mechanistic approaches to determine their capacity at various levels of deterioration. The data and models presented in this study satisfy a portion of the...
Wood remains the most popular material for deck construction. For centuries, consumers have chosen wood because of its desirable qualities and aesthetics. In recent years, wood plastic composites (WPC's) have seen rising demand as alternatives to wood decks, despite a large price premium. In addition, the removal of CCA treated...
Heartwood can have properties that are distinct from sapwood,
including resistance to insect and microbial attack. Despite the practical
importance of heartwood formation in trees, a review of the literature revealed
that little was known about the effects of environmental factors on heartwood
quality or how variations in heartwood properties...
Innovation is considered the ultimate drive for business success. Fast growing furniture imports from China have become a controversial topic within U.S. wood and furniture industries. Low-cost production, which is stereotypically considered as the major competitive advantage of the Chinese-made products, has received considerable attention by a large body of...
The objectives of this study were to evaluate the performance of wood frame shear walls
under monotonic, cyclic and earthquake loads by: (1) estimating the variability of shear wall
performance, (2) comparing the performance of walls under each loading protocol, (3) evaluating
the effects of anchorage on wall performance, and...
The goal of this project was to develop an integrated pest management strategy
for the control of a powder-post beetle (Dinoderus minutus F.). This species causes
serious damage in Philippine bamboo. Developmental threshold and thermal constants
were examined and natural enemies and ftmgi associated with beetles were investigated.
Finally, the...
In deciduous species, water exits stems mainly through leaf traces
attached to the outer growth ring and yet we know that water ascends
throughout the entire cross-section of the sapwood. There is an increasing
amount of information on sap flow and sapwood hydraulic properties from
separate studies, but little information...
The overall goal of this study is to evaluate the earthquake performance of wood frame
shear walls, and more specifically: (1) to compare the performance differences of fully and
partially anchored walls under monotonic, cyclic, and earthquake loads, (2) to compare wall
performance under earthquake loads with that of standardized...
Many paper products like towel and tissue cannot serve their purposes without temporary wet strength Glyoxal-polyacrylamide (GPA) resin is one of the widely used commercial wet strength additives that impart the temporary wet strength to paper and paperboard products However, GPA resin is derived from petrochemicals and contributes to contaminants...
The dynamics of radio frequency (RF) laminated veneer lumber (LVL) pressing are explored for the purpose of optimizing this process. The RF LVL press at the Albany Trus Joist plant is the focus of this investigation. The investigation first focuses on bond strength development characteristics of the Georgia Pacific adhesive...
Sawmills are very complex systems that involve many manufacturing processes. The variability of their raw material adds further to this complexity as each log has characteristics that determine its processing path. Therefore, computer simulation is a very useful technique for analyzing sawmill performance. This thesis describes a simulation computer model...
A sawmill is similar to other manufacturing enterprises when it comes to making decisions, scheduling production and meeting customer demands. In order to help sawmills achieve their goals, and because there is such a high degree of variability in the raw material used in this industry, computer simulation has proven...
Key parts of the lateral force resisting system in wood-frame buildings
are the shearwafls and the connections. The connections in wooden buildings
are the primary source of ductility and energy dissipation; these are essential
properties when buildings are exposed to lateral forces, such as wind and
earthquakes. Shearwall design is...
In wood-plastic composites (WPCs) a compatibilizer is often used to improve
the interfacial adhesion between the hydrophilic wood filler and the hydrophobic
plastic matrix. At present, while the basic concepts of compatibilization are
understood, the optimized chemical structures of an effective compatibilizer, including
the ideal structures of the wood-binding domain...
Wood-plastic composites (WPCs) are one of the fastest-growing sectors of the
wood composites industry. However, the strengths of WPCs are typically low
because of the poor interfacial adhesion between hydrophilic wood and
hydrophobic thermoplastics. A compatibilizer that can form bridges between wood
and plastics is required to give WPCs desirable...
The goal of this study was to optimize a through-boring pattern that will provide adequate preservative penetration while minimizing the reduction in overall pole bending strength. Hole spacing was developed using longitudinal and transverse chemical penetration data from previous studies. Finite element analysis was used as a preliminary assessment tool...
The emission of organic compounds from wood manufacturing
facilities is an important regulatory concern due to their effects on ambient
air quality. Control technologies, such as oxidizers and biofiltration, are
used to remove organics from air streams; however, most removal
technologies have high costs or cause additional negative environmental
impact....
Presently, the production of wood composites relies on the formaldehyde-based wood adhesives such as phenol-formaldehyde (PF) and urea-formaldehyde (UF). However, their dependence on exhaustible fossil fuels and the emission of carcinogenic formaldehyde prompt to develop an environmentally friendly adhesive from renewable natural resources. This work focuses on development and characterization...
Current compression perpendicular-to-grain (c-perp) design values for wood members are based on mean stress using the ASTM D143 specimen. Base design value, as determined from 0.04-in deformation in the ASTM specimen, is applied to all c-perp applications. While the standard ASTM test was presumably believed to adequately reflect relevant c-perp...
Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco), a shade intolerant species, and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.), a shade tolerant species, were compared to learn more about the temporal pattern of release from suppression in both species, whether hydraulic architecture or photosynthetic capacity constrain release and how wood functional properties change...
Light-frame construction practices and materials have changed greatly
over the past 100 years. Contemporary research has focused on modern construction; thus, we know a great deal about the behavior of modern lightframe buildings under lateral forces. However, there are many light-frame buildings that were built prior to the introduction of...
This study investigated variation in xylem anatomy, hydraulic properties, and the relationship between anatomy and properties within Douglas-fir trees at multiple scales. The hierarchical scales in the study included fertilization treatments (fertilized and unfertilized), trees within the treatments, and positions within the trees. Tracheid diameter, tracheid length, percent latewood, number...
Heavy timber framing relies primarily on bracing to withstand lateral loads due to earthquakes and wind events. Bracing configurations in heavy timber framed buildings vary widely and include cross bracing, knee bracing, and other geometries. Many heavy timber frames constructed during colonial American times are still standing, exceeding the expected...
New species introductions have been associated with the movement of
people for thousands of years. For instance, horses were introduced into North
America by Spanish explorers, while pigs were introduced by the Polynesians
into many Pacific islands long before the establishment of permanent
European settlements. Both of these species introductions...
Due to growing global competition, especially in the last decade, the United States wood and wood-based industries have suffered significant market share losses. The wood industry in Germany is facing similar challenges. To stay competitive in an increasingly global marketplace, many wood manufacturers are adopting new management/manufacturing approaches. Lean manufacturing...
The overall goal of this study was to gain an insight into the load sharing aspect between oriented strand board (OSB) and gypsum wall board (GWB) in shear wall assembly during racking load. More specifically the objectives of the study were to: (1) evaluate qualitatively the load sharing between OSB...
Innovativeness, or the propensity of a firm to create and/or adopt new products, process and business systems, has been measured using several methods in previous research. Examples of theses methods include current technology, self-evaluation, research and development funding, the number of new products, and intellectual property. In addition to the...
There has been an increasing realization of the value of innovativeness, the orientation toward innovation, for firms thriving to gain competitive edge. The US forest products industry is no different in this respect and many companies have active initiatives to bring about creativity from their own employees. At the same...
Formaldehyde-based adhesives such as urea-formaldehyde (UF) and phenol-formaldehyde (PF) adhesives dominate the current wood adhesive market. However, these adhesives are derived from petrochemicals and carcinogenic formaldehyde. In this study, we developed two formaldehyde-free adhesives based on abundant, renewable, and inexpensive soy flour (SF).
The first adhesive was mainly composed of...
Copper migration from treated wood has created concerns within the
environmental community because of the potential effects of this heavy
metal on aquatic organisms. Migration can be limited, to some extent, by
more controlled treatments and by post-treatment processing, but these
actions cannot completely overcome the problem. An alternative approach...
A mathematical and then a numerical model were developed for simulating a convective batch lumber drying process. The model incorporates mass and heat transfer relationships within the lumber stack, as well as thermodynamic properties of the wood and drying air. It takes into account a change of air properties along...
The objective of this research project was to increase the density, strength, and stiffness of two low to medium-density diffuse-porous hardwood species. Wood used in this study was processed using a method of wood densification known as “Viscoelastic Thermal Compression” (VTC). The VTC process is a three phase treatment which...
Wood plastic composites (WPCs) are composite materials made from thermoplastic polymers, wood flour, and a small amount of process- and property-enhancing additives; they are principally used in the automotive industry and as secondary building materials. Although the WPC market is expected to keep growing, it is still relatively small when...
While the heartwood of many wood species exhibits excellent resistance to fungal and insect attack, this resistance is sometimes diminished in second-growth material of the same species. The reasons for the reduced durability are unclear, but they may reflect a combination of both higher proportions of sapwood as well as...
The tendency of wood to shrink and swell with changing moisture content remains as one of the most significant challenges to using wood in its many applications. Viscoelastic Thermal Compression (VTC) has been shown to significantly increase the density, strength and stiffness of wood. However, dimensional stability is still a...
Business is a social institution and society has always designated a role for
business which has been undergoing changes with changing societal values and
paradigms. Thus while business has always had some responsibilities, the modern
connotation of the words corporate social responsibility commonly refers to business
assuming responsibilities in economic,...
The overall goal of this study was to evaluate an alternative to
traditional wood framed shear wall construction. This study introduced the
innovative idea of using a water and seismic damage resistant, wood-concrete-
composite (WCC) construction instead of an all-wood design. The
WCC design consisted of a thin shell of...
The effects of incorporation of selected biocides on physical and mechanical properties of aspen strandboard were assessed using five copper-based preservatives or zinc borate at three retention levels. Tebuconazole or 4,5-dichloro-2-N-octyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (DCOI) were added as co-biocides to selective copper-based treatments. Mold box tests showed that only panels treated with DCOI...
In many composites, fiber bridging develops as part of the fracture process. Fiber bridging invalidates many toughness evaluation methods such as the ASTM E399 and complicates the identification of crack length, which is a necessary parameter in energy methods. In order to measure the toughness of fiber bridging composites, an...
The fabrication of nano-scale devices is a challenging, but potentially important, technology that has drawn a great deal of interest among researchers. Such nanoscale constructions utilizing a bottom-up approach for device building have many foreseeable applications in areas as diverse as miniaturized electronics, sensors, and biomedical devices.
One of the...
The goal of this study was to develop an understanding of the nature of surge wave loading on
wood framed residential structures for a variety of building configurations and test conditions.
The objectives of the study were: (1) to measure forces on a 1/6th scale wood framed
residential structure, (2)...
The essential oil components of cedar heartwoods play an important role in the durability of these trees. Yet, the composition of these oils and identity of many of the compounds remains unknown, or incompletely know for some commercially important cedar heartwoods. The essential oil extracts of Alaska Yellow Cedar (Chamaecyparis...
The fundamental intent of the study was to develop an innovative wood-strand composite for use in structural applications. Plantation grown, low density, hybrid poplar was used in the study which was found to be appropriate for the underlying Viscoelastic Thermal Compression (VTC) process. Wood modified by this process has high...
Synthetic adhesives like phenol formaldehyde (PF) and isocyanates dominate the
wood based structural panel market. The raw materials that makeup these adhesives
are based on petroleum and natural gas. The sustainability and the continued success
of the wood based structural panel industry will benefit from the development of
alternative adhesives...
Non-destructive commercial ultrasonic grading provides laminated veneer lumber (LVL) manufacturers a means for sorting veneer based on average ultrasonic propagation time (UPT) and/or average dynamic modulus of elasticity (MOEd). While this may provide reliable estimations of modulus of elasticity (MOE), little is known about the influence of veneer defects on...
Society uses massive quantities of wood fiber in production of paper, and demand for fiber is projected to increase further as production of biofuels from fermentation of plant cellulosic materials increases. Because these end uses generally require the costly step of removing of lignin, wood with reduced or more easily...
Lead-user research is a relatively new marketing research technique, and it has not seen much use in the forest sector. Lead-user research is designed to capture not just the needs of the customer in their own voice but also to involve actual users of goods and/or services in their development....
Hygro-mechanical effect is a general term applied to all phenomena that involves interaction between moisture content and mechanical characteristics of hygroscopic materials by analogy to thermo-mechanical effects. The hygromechanical effects include (but are not limited to) free shrinkage/swelling, effect of moisture on elastic modulus, strength, creep, failure mechanisms, and mechano...
The importance of wood bonding increased in the last decades due to the
increased usage of wood composites whose performance depends to a large extent on
the adhesive penetration and subsequent bonding of the adherends. The presented
research used XMT (x-ray microtomography) to perform a non-destructive, threedimensional
analysis of the...
The fact that 80 percent of Mexican forestlands are under common ownership impacts the competitiveness of the forest products industry and forest sustainability. Community forest enterprises (CFE) are a heterogeneous group of forest industries managed by indigenous and local communities for livelihood and profit. Many CFEs face inner competitiveness problems,...
We studied the feasibility of using end-grain characteristics to match individual boards and cants back to their parent Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) logs. After reviewing marking/reading and biometric automated identification systems, we focused on end-grain biometrics because they appear to have the most promise for sawmills. Biometric identification requires that every...
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) can be defined as companies acting in accordance with societal demands. In recent years, CSR has gradually become a leading issue in business. Heightened corporate attention to CSR has not been entirely voluntary. Many companies awoke to it only after being surprised by public response to...
The objective of this project was to develop an analytical model of a light-framed wood structure using a prevalent structural analysis computer program in order to evaluate system effects and define load paths within the structure, especially under extreme wind events. Simplified modeling techniques and material definitions were developed and...
The overall goal of this project was to design a wood frame shear wall that could withstand greater displacement before damage occurred to the Gypsum Wall Board (GWB). More specifically, the objectives of the study were: (1) to evaluate damage to the GWB in alternative shear wall designs at 1%,...
In wood-based composites, the glue-line (interface) between wood-strands affects the stress transfer from one member to the next. The glue-line properties determine the rate of load transfer between phases and these properties depend on wood species, surface preparation, glue properties, glue penetration into wood cells, and moisture content of the...
Formaldehyde-based adhesives such as urea-formaldehyde (UF), phenol-formaldehyde (PF) are widely applied in wood-based composite industry. However, these adhesives are all petrochemical-based and could not sustain in a long term due to a limited reserve of oil and natural gas. Moreover, these adhesives emit carcinogenic formaldehyde in the production or use...
Policy makers in the United States (US), following recommendations made by the international scientific community, have drafted national emissions reduction legislation in hopes of minimizing the harmful effects of global climate change. Included in this legislation is a national cap-and-trade system with provisions for carbon offsets. Specific provisions for forest...
Variability in wood properties causes boards within a stack of lumber to
dry at different rates and reach different moisture content levels after drying is
completed. The consequence is that the boards will have properties that differ from
ones that were intended to be achieved by the drying process.
The...
Treating durable, second-growth or plantation-grown material with supplemental chemicals could improve durability while enhancing the uniformity of the products. To test this hypothesis, the effect of two candidate biocide treatments on the durability of teak, redwood, and western redcedar was assessed in a ground proximity field test established in Hawaii....
Moisture intrusion in residential structures can lead to substantial fungal decay and this damage costs billions in repair/replacement costs. The extent of damage and the rate at which it occurs are primarily dependent on the wood moisture content and temperature in the structure. Determining the risk of decay for various...
The increasing demand for forest products and restricted use of natural forests has resulted in a shortage of high-strength wood fiber. The area covered by plantation forests is steadily rising, but the fiber produced by these forests is often unsuitable for high-strength applications. One attempt to combat this problem is...
Engineers, in practice, are often faced with the challenge of evaluating a fire-damaged structure and developing a rehabilitation and retrofit plan. In order to decide on a rehabilitation and retrofit plan, information on thermal degradation of building materials and connections are vital. A critical knowledge gap exists in terms of...
Wildfire prevention operations like forest thinning and forest fuel removal result in large volumes of woody biomass available for utilization. In 2007 alone, the US federal government spent nearly $2 billion to fight forest fires on federal lands. Annually, the USDA Forest Service spends $1 billion to thin young trees...
The wood-based building products industry has experienced significant turbulence over the past several decades as a function of multiple forces including among others globalization, product and process innovation, and shifting customer and consumer interest and demands. Collectively, these changes have challenged the historical tenets which have defined industry strategy and...
Rapid discoloration and checking of wooden surfaces when exposed outdoors has caused wood to fall out of favor as an outdoor building material, especially in applications where appearance is important. The surface appearance of wood products exposed outdoors can be improved through the application of film forming coatings or by...
Synthetic adhesives, such as phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resins and urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins, have dominated the wood adhesive market since they were introduced in the wood products industry. Formaldehyde, as a key component in the manufacturing of PF and UF resins, has been classified as a known human carcinogen by the International...
The Pacific Northwest is blessed with an abundance of precipitation. This rainfall, however, can have important consequences for industries that must process the resulting stormwater for proper discharge. This is particularly true of wood treatment facilities. Past management practices at wood preserving facilities located in the Western United States create...
The context of this thesis is a research project focused on the investigation of a renewable biopolymer-poly(lactic acid) (PLA) as a potential replacement of petroleum-based polymers in advanced nanocomposites reinforced with Microfibrillated cellulose (MFC). MFC is extracted from wood, which is a renewable, sustainable, carbon neutral and recyclable material. This...
Export-oriented illegal logging has been recognized as a major global problem in environmental, social, and economic terms. It has been argued that export-oriented illegal logging does not benefit the community or government that should be benefited by its own natural resources. The emergence of policy initiatives targeting illegal logging could...
Polymeric composites reinforced with bio-materials have advantages over composites with synthetic reinforcements. Bio-based composites use low-cost and renewable reinforcements, have nonabrasive properties for machining, have improved damping characteristics, and have potential for energy recycling. However, the limited use of bio-based composites is because their mechanical properties are typically much lower...
Logging and forest thinning operations generate large amounts of residues in the form of small trees, branches and foliage that are usually left on the ground to decay or are burned. These resources are readily available, but it is uneconomical to remove them from the forest. The potential utilization of...
Since 2004 there have been multiple devastating tsunamis around the globe triggered by large magnitude earthquakes; with the most recent being the Tohoku, Japan tsunami in March 2011. These tsunamis have caused significant loss of life and damage to the coastal communities impacted by these powerful waves. The resulting devastation...
During the past several decades, earthquakes have caused extensive damage to
buildings, including wood-frame, single-family dwellings, in the United States. In
order to mitigate future losses, existing buildings in earthquake prone areas should be
evaluated for their seismic safety. This is also an important issue for buildings in
Oregon due...
Innovation is a critical component for long term success of an organization. However, being innovative is rarely easy. Successful implementation of any innovation (product, process, or business system) can heavily rely on the functionality of the current innovation system in a given industry. An innovation system is composed of policies,...
Natural fibers are gaining popularity as reinforcement materials for thermoset resins over the last two decades. Natural fibers are inexpensive, abundant, renewable and environmentally friendly. Kenaf fibers are one of the natural fibers that can potentially be used for reinforcing unsaturated polyester (UPE). As a polymer matrix, UPE enjoys a...
The objective of this project was to evaluate methods to remediate a wood I-joist with a single, circular hole in the web while leaving utilities in place. The methods were experimentally evaluated with a full-scale bending test using four equally spaced point loads. There were three depths of joists with...
The purpose of this thesis was to evaluate orthogonal cutting as a method to determine the fracture toughness of low and high density polyethylene and wood plastic composites. A test fixture was developed to capture normal and tangential cutting forces at variable depth and rake angle. A tool interface method...