Thermal bridges in a prefabricated wooden house: comparison between evaluation methods

The major aim of this study was to create a numerical model of thermal bridges in a wooden structure and to discover differences between factual values of linear thermal transmittance utilized in the finite-element (FE) modelling and values given by the European normative method (EN ISO 14683). Thermal bridges of wooden structures were detected using thermocamera FLIR S65 for infrared detection. These measurements allow displaying the temperature distribution of the thermal scan and proving the positive correlation between heat flux and change in the evaluated temperatures of a thermal bridge. A three-dimensional FE model of the structure was prepared for the thermal analysis using the engineering software ANSYS Workbench 13. The transmission heat loss coefficients of a prefabricated wooden house were established based on the Czech normative method (?SN 730540-4). Linear thermal transmittance values calculated from the thermal analysis and the normative method given by EN ISO 10211 were compared. The results show that even if the transmission heat loss coefficients meet the requirements designated by standards, the real heat losses are increased by thermal bridges involved in the construction. Their influence is determined by the linear transmittance value which is usually not exactly established.     

Development of test methods for wooden furniture joints

Abstract

Joints are generally the weakest part of furniture and they are primary cause of failure. To ensure durability and performance of furniture, it is important for a designer to understand the stresses acting on the joints for preparing suitable design and specification of a furniture. Since each type of joint is unique in construction, it is important to know their strength, when subjected to various stresses namely shear, bending, and tensile, by testing the joints. Since there is no established test method for joints, this study was carried out to categorize joints based on their shape, identify the stresses acting over them and develop test methods for testing furniture joints in three modes namely shear, bending, and tension, which are required for designing joints of any furniture and also provide means of comparing strength of different types of joints. Different types of furniture joints were taken for the study and were classified based on their shapes such as L-shaped, T-shaped, straight, and corner joints. Six types of jigs (one type for bending, two types for shear, and three types for tension) were designed and developed for testing the joints, in such a way that any type of joint can be tested in three modes, i.e., bending, shear, and tension using a universal testing machine. The criteria for section of jigs for performing tests on joints, based on their shape and stresses acting on a particular joint, were reported. Tests were carried out using all the six type of jigs to check the suitability of jigs and test methods developed in the study.     

Development and evaluation of a support system for forest education

Field education programs have been conducted throughout the world because learning through experience is an important process in environmental and forest education. We developed a support system for forest education that consists mainly of a Global Positioning System (GPS) and personal digital assistant (PDA). Moreover, field experiments were conducted to evaluate educational efficacy as well as usability of the developed system. Through a post-questionnaire the developed system was highly evaluated in terms of educational efficacy and enjoyment. On the other hand, the questionnaire revealed the need for technical improvements. For example, the drawing function, which involves the use of a stylus pen, was the most poorly evaluated because a drawing could not be partially erased as with an eraser and representation was not sufficiently accurate. In addition, positions where information on nature appeared were sometimes inaccurate due to positional errors caused by using the autonomous GPS. Some participants answered that walking with the developed system was also troublesome due to its shape and size. In fact, they did not feel comfortable about the cables connecting the GPS to the PDA and GPS to its antenna. Although there were some problems with the system, we believe that the field education program was successful because 95% of the participants answered that they would join a similar program again.     

Development of LVL frame structures using glued metal plate joints I: bond quality and joint performance of LVL-metal joints using epoxy resins

Bond quality and joint performance between laminated veneer lumber (LVL) and metal plates were investigated. Commercially fabricated LVL made of Douglas fir veneer and bonded with phenol-formaldehyde resin as well as three types of epoxy adhesives were used. Various surface preparations and treatments were applied to ordinary steel, stainless steel, and aluminum plates to remove the weak boundary layer that is incompatible with the resin and form a stable adherend layer that is chemically and mechanically compatible with the resin. Small specimens were tested in shear to search the most suitable metal surface for bonding with LVL. Generally, shear strength obtained for the specimens bonded with aluminum plates was lower than those bonded with ordinary steel plates. Among them chemically treated (ChT) and roughened (R) surfaces have demonstrated superior performance. To investigate strength performance and bond quality, LVL beams jointed with metal plates were tested while bending. The best results were obtained for specimens bonded with zinccoated metal plates, though good results were obtained also for ChT and R plates. However, the fracture proved to be fragile when no drift pins were used, even for high-performance surface treatments. The usage of drift pins was necessary to add toughness and avoid the brittle status of the fracture.     

Basic study on nondestructive evaluation of artificial deterioration of a wooden rafter by ultrasonic measurement

Most old buildings in Korea are wood framed and, with age, deterioration is found in all wood components of antique buildings. Insects and rapid changes in humidity are among the main causes of deterioration. To preserve antique wooden buildings, nondestructive testing (NDT) methods are required. Various methods of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) such as X-ray, stress wave, drilling resistance test, and ultrasound are used to inspect the safety of wooden antique buildings. The ultrasonic method is relatively simple, inexpensive, and accurate. The rafters are one of the main components of antique buildings and are seriously affected by deterioration. This study aimed to develop a nondestructive ultrasonic technique for evaluation of wooden rafter deterioration. Regression models describing the relationship between the artificial deterioration of the specimen and ultrasonic parameters were proposed. The method was found to be reliable for evaluating wooden rafter deterioration.     

Rotational performance of traditional Nuki joints with gap II: the behavior of butted Nuki joint and its comparison with continuous Nuki joint

Nuki joints are often used in oriental carpentry. Various types of Nuki joints have different structural characteristics, which needs further investigation. This article proposes a theoretical model for butted Nuki joints and reports verification of the model by 21 full-scale tests. We then compare the mechanical behaviors of butted Nuki joints with continuous Nuki joints by using the theoretical models proposed in this article and in a previous report. The results show that the initial stiffness and moment resistance of butted Nuki joints are much lower than continuous joints, and the butted Nuki joints have larger initial rotation without any moment resistance. The results of this study help us understand the structural behavior, and to estimate the structural characteristics of butted Nuki joints when carrying out the structural analyses.     

关于建立林业生态建设项目支出绩效评价体系的构想

笔者从林业生态建设项目支出管理过程中存在的突出问题入手,提出了建立林业生态建设项目支出绩效评价体系的缘由和必要性,分析了存在的困难和问题,提出了解决问题的初步构想。     

Natural vibration analysis of clear wooden beams: a theoretical review

 In wood science, natural vibration analysis is being used to an increasing extent to characterise the longitudinal and the shear modulus of elacticity of various geometrical types of prismatic beams. A lateral or a axial percussion at one end of a beam set up on elastic support produces bending or longitudinal vibrations. Considering the hypothesis of the homogeneity of geometrical and mechanical properties of the beam, basic dynamics theorems can be applied to obtain the motion equations of longitudinal and transverse vibrations. The resolution of the differential equation for transverse motion leads to a search for solutions to the frequency equation. Because no exact analytical solution can be found, several approximate results are analysed. The application and validity range have to be defined to be able to achieve realistic results. The effects of the elastic support, the shear modulus and the height to length ratio are discussed. The conceptual bases help in understanding the analytical results and accuracy calculations can then be developed for practical applications. We present the most common theoretical models and define their validity range, application conditions, and accuracy levels with respect to measured values. Received 26 June 2000     

Virtual forest: design and evaluation of a walk-through system for forest education

Forest education is generally conducted in a real forest to provide learners a direct experience with reality. However, often it is not easy to participate in forest education programs carried out in remote places due to distance, limited time, or economic or physical restrictions. Therefore, we developed a walk-through system for forest education in a virtual forest and evaluated its educational efficacy as well as usability through indoor experiments. The virtual forest was constructed with omnidirectional images taken in a forest using a digital camera with an omnidirectional vision sensor. The results of the postquestionnaire showed that the developed system was highly evaluated by the participants in the experiments in terms of educational efficacy and enjoyment. Also, comparison of results of prequestionnaire and postquestionnaire showed that it had educational value. On the other hand, some technical problems in the developed system were revealed. For example, 45.0% of the participants answered that the walk-through in the virtual forest did not proceed with sufficient smoothness, and encountered unexpected slowdowns and stops. In addition, image quality was not high enough to identify small objects in the virtual forest. Regardless of these problems, we believe that the computer-based forest education was successful because 88.3% of the participants answered that they would like to join a similar program again and 90.0% answered that they would like to visit the real forest that the virtual forest imitated.     

Application of modal analysis by transfer function to nondestructive testing of wood II: modulus of elasticity evaluation of sections of differing quality in a wooden beam by the curvature of the flexural vibration wave

 The shape of the flexural vibration wave of wooden beams at the first mode was detected using the transfer function. The dynamic modulus of elasticity (MOE) of beam sections of differing quality was estimated from the ratio of the curvature of the wave shape in this section to that of a clear beam. The results were as follows: (1) If a section with a lower dynamic MOE was introduced into a clear wooden beam, the curvature of the wave shape in that section became higher. (2) The ratio of the MOE and the reciprocal of the curvature ratio were highly correlated. (3) The MOE of a defect could be estimated, and the position of the defect could be determined accurately by examining the curvature of the flexural vibration wave shapes. Received: March 22, 2002 / Accepted: May 15, 2002 Part of this report was presented at the 50th Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Kyoto, April 2000. This article is translated from the Japanese version, which was published in Mokuzai Gakkaishi 47(5), 2001 Correspondence to:Y. Ishimaru     

Development of a monitoring system for guided circular saws: an experimental investigation

ABSTRACT

Lack of a monitoring system for guided circular saws marks one of the most critical machines in sawmills as a production bottleneck. Monitoring systems are being researched and developed for machine tools, especially for the metal cutting industry; but there are limited studies on the development of monitoring systems for circular saws in wood manufacturing process. In this study, sensors with the possibility to indicate sawing deviation were chosen that could be mounted in or on the saw guides. The sensors were: a microphone, an accelerometer, temperature sensor, an acoustic emission (AE) sensor, and a newly developed displacement sensor. A load cell was used to measure the lateral force on the guides. The outputs from these sensors were compared to the standard deviation of the board surface measured at the top of the cut. The signals from the displacement sensor, microphone, accelerometer, guide force sensor, and AE senor had no correlation to changes in the sawing deviation as measured by the standard deviation at the top of the board. Under laboratory conditions, the sound level and the AE signal did indicate the beginning and end of the cut. It was found that blade temperature is a good indicator of saw cutting performance. A newly developed temperature sensor can provide accurate temperature of the saw during cutting. The sensor can be used for measuring the rate of heating to cooling over time which can be used as a monitoring system to detect if there is any issue in the system.     

Development of an air-injection press for preventing blowout of particleboard II: improvement of board properties using small-diameter holes for air injection

An air-injection press, which has holes punched in the heating plates, injects high-pressure air through the holes of one plate into boards during press heating. The air-injection press can manufacture boards from high-moisture-content particles by controlling blowouts of the boards. In this study, boards were manufactured from particles that had a moisture content of 25% by using the air-injection press, which reduced the required pressing time. Boards manufactured by injecting air through holes of 5 mm in diameter were of poor quality with a low internal bond strength of only 0.31 MPa. When the hole diameter was reduced to 1 mm, the internal bond strength increased to 0.44 MPa. A high air-injection pressure of 0.55 MPa also resulted in improved board properties over those for boards manufactured at lower pressures. This was probably because a large amount of binder was released from boards through the 5-mm holes, together with water vapor, during air injection; the small-diameter holes reduced the release of binder, resulting in better board properties.     

Pseudodynamic tests and earthquake response analysis of timber structures II: two-level conventional wooden structures with plywood sheathed shear walls

Pseudodynamic (PSD) tests were conducted on two-level timber structures with plywood-sheathed shear walls, which each had an opening of different configuration, to study the effects of the mechanical properties of the first and second levels on the earthquake response of the structure. The specimens had two-level conventional post and beam frames that were 3 m wide, 3 m deep, and 6 m high with plywood sheathings nailed on one face of the structure. The first and second levels had different opening configurations of window, door, or slit. Lateral forces were applied at the top of the first and second levels, calculating step by step the next displacement based on the North-South (NS) components of the 1940 El Centro earthquake. The test results were compared with those of the time-history earthquake response analysis using the lumped mass model and hysteresis model presented in the companion article (part I). The experimental and simulated results showed that the simulation by means of the lumped mass time-history earthquake response analysis predicted quite well the response of the first level, but tended to underestimate the response of the second level, and that the PSD tests of an individual wall system with the mass supported by that particular wall generally show a conservative estimate of the response.     

短周期杉木人工林不同林龄土壤肥力综合评价

为探讨不同生长发育阶段林地土壤肥力状况及地力衰退趋势,分析影响地力衰退的主要影响因子,以不同林龄(2、4、6、8和11 a)杉木短周期小径材培育人工林的土壤样本为研究对象,检测土壤有机质、全氮、全钾、全磷、水解性氮、速效钾、有效磷、有效铁、交换性钙、交换性镁含量和pH值共11个土壤肥力指标,分析不同林龄土壤养分差异及其变化趋势。结果表明:除土壤pH值外,土壤主要肥力指标的变化幅度较大,有机质、全氮、水解性氮、速效钾、有效磷含量在不同土层和不同林龄间均存在极显著差异(P<0.01);随着林龄的增长,林地土壤有机质和氮磷肥消耗较大,其中,表土层(0~20 cm)有机质、水解性氮、有效磷含量到11 a主伐时的降幅均超过30%,但不同林龄间各肥力指标差异不显著;采用改进后的Nemerow法计算的土壤肥力综合指数为0.412~0.530,土壤肥力等级为Ⅲ级(P_综<0.9),土壤肥力较低,相比较而言,土壤中有机质和氮肥含量较充足,而交换性阳离子极为贫乏;有机质、速效钾、水解性氮、有效磷含量与综合肥力指数呈显著或极显著正相关(R_偏~2>0.8),是影响土壤肥力的主要因子;土壤肥力综合指数随林龄增大而降低,11 a主伐期比造林初期(2 a)下降22.26%,但不同林龄间各单项肥力指数及综合肥力指数均不存在显著差异(P>0.08)。在该栽培模式的超短经营周期内,随着林龄增大及林木生长对土壤养分的消耗,林地土壤肥力出现一定程度的退化现象,但并未达到显著水平,有必要通过提高整地质量、改良土壤、林粮间作、增施有机肥及氮磷钾肥等措施适度增加土壤肥力,维持林地长期生产力。     

Seismic performance of post-and-beam timber buildings II: reliability evaluations

This paper presents an approach to evaluate the performance reliability of post-and-beam timber buildings under seismic excitation. The uncertainties considered include those associated with the earthquake ground motions, the structural mass and shear wall characteristics. The approach uses a verified structural model called “PB3D” for the creation of a database of seismic responses, which are then represented by appropriate response surfaces. These, in turn, are used to formulate explicit performance functions for the reliability analysis. Performance is studied in terms of peak inter-story drift, and polynomial functions are used to represent the seismic response surfaces. Non-performance probabilities are evaluated with respect to different performance expectations, using FORM and importance sampling methods. Case studies for two multi-story post-and-beam buildings are also presented.     

Modeling of a cylindrical laminated veneer lumber II: a nonlinear finite element model to improve the quality of the butt joint

The use of low-grade logs to build spirally wound laminated veneer lumber (LVL) has been studied and improved from the point of view of the gluing process, fiber orientation angle, and end joint of the LVL. The butt joint appears to be the fracture point when the column is submitted to a compressive or bending load. Owing to the complexity of cylindrical LVL, we used a finite element method to simulate the mechanical behavior of part of its wall. This part was small enough to be considered flat but was representative of the structure, especially in the area of the butt joint. This allowed us to test the validity of different settings of the parameters involved in the manufacturing process. To feed data for this model, we used the results established for the linear and nonlinear behavior of raw hinoki in Part I of this series of articles. We then used this numerical model to improve the quality of the butt joint by testing different settings of the joint. We show that reducing the butt joint gap under 0.5 mm, which requires only a few changes in the production line, provides an important increase in the modulus of upture and nonnegligible improvement of the modulus of elasticity compared to that for a ≥ 1 mm butt joint gap.     

Modulus of elasticity in scarf-jointed wooden beams: a case study with polyvinyl acetate and isocyanate adhesives

In the present study, elastic properties of scarf-jointed oak (Quercus castaneifolia) timbers with the application of two different types of adhesives (polyvinyl acetate and isocyanate) were evaluated using free flexural vibration of free–free beam method in different flexural directions of vibration, i.e., tangential and redial directions. Samples were taken from trees of Hyrcanian forests in Iran with nominal dimensions of 20 × 20 × 360 mm³. Comparing the results of elastic properties of clear oak wood beams with scarf-jointed samples wood showed that scarf joints with the bonding angles of 70° and 75°, covered by polyvinyl acetate adhesive, did not demonstrate any significant effect on modules of elasticity. Scarf-jointed beams with smaller joint angles (60° and 65°) were considerably weaker or totally unreliable in their moduli of elasticity. It is also shown that the magnitude of effect gets worst by using isocyanate rather than polyvinyl acetate adhesive.     

MyLand: a web-based and meta-model decision support system framework for spatial and temporal evaluation of integrated land use

This study developed an integrated decision support system (DSS) to assist land managers in taking a long-term holistic approach to integrated land-use decisions. “MyLand” is a unique combination of existing methods and techniques: meta-modelling calibrated off-productivity surfaces for spatial application, a decision tree for selecting options, multiple land-use analysis, multiple outputs and a mapping interface deployed over the Web. The design provides visualisation of geospatial information and enables multiple stakeholders to contribute to a more collaborative land-use planning process. Techniques to solve forestry modelling challenges have been generalised and applied in modelling pastoral and forestry land-use types. Forestry yield modelling is accommodated by a two-stage approach of spatial modelling of a productivity index followed by meta-modelling output from forest stand growth models. Livestock farming is modelled using the property owner's estimates of livestock carrying capacity of land management units in a whole property stock reconciliation model. The environmental performance of the property is calculated from the land-use type and management regime. A case study is described to demonstrate the use of “MyLand” and results of user evaluation of the DSS are presented.     

金沟岭林场森林多功能评价指标体系构建

以吉林省汪清林业局金沟岭实验林场为研究对象,在ArcGIS平台下,根据社会需求和研究区森林调查数据,采用层次分析法构建基于GIS的森林多功能评价指标体系.利用GIS的空间分析功能评价母树保护、木材生产、水土保持和护路4个主要森林功能并制作森林功能区划图.结果表明:评价结果符合林场经营目标,也符合用材林、母树林成面,护路林成线和水土保持林点状分布的特点.