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...
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...
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 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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...