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...
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...
Co-located mills that share a log resource through a single merchandising
facility are challenged with the task of allocating the costs of joint-products in order to
determine log cost for each mill during a given period. While allocating joint-costs is
inherently arbitrary, some allocation must be made to include raw...
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...
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...
Eighteen-hundred grand fir (Abies grandis) studs, curve sawn from small-diameter [approximately 4-7 inches (102-178 mm)] sawlogs, were kiln dried to determine effects
of drying schedule and restraint on energy consumption, drying time, and warp (bow,
crook, and twist). The experimental design included 18 kiln charges with three replications
of three...
In order to operate at peak efficiency, every steam heating coil in a dry kiln must fully
purge the condensate that forms within it. Failure to do so results in a condition known
as waterlogging, where a portion of the coil becomes flooded with condensate.
Waterlogging is recognized as an...
This presentation is meant to give insight to the saw mill industry where the use of 3- phase AC induction motors in kiln applications expose new and old issues in regards to maintaining machine or kiln uptime. This presentation will cover areas where application and product design have gone through...