Determination of wood moisture properties using a CT-scanner in a controlled low-temperature environment

Abstract

The aim of the present work was to examine an advanced image-processing algorithm for moisture content (mc) calculation and also to use this algorithm to analyse moisture loss data for low temperature drying. Since wood starts to shrink below the fibre saturation point during drying, the geometrical shape of the wood piece will change. The dry wood image was thoroughly transformed to the shape of the wet wood image prior to calculating the dry weight mc. The results show that the algorithm for the dry weight mc on density data from the CT-scanning during low-temperature drying in the climate chamber is a powerful tool for analysing the moisture loss inside the wood piece. This method can make it possible to get a higher quality on the product.     

沙柳材端向切削特性的研究

为了明确影响灌木材端向切削力的主要因素,改进削片机性能,提高灌木材削片质量,笔者研究了不同刀具前角、切削厚度和不同含水率对沙柳(Salix psammophila)材端向切削力的影响。结果表明刀具前角对法向力的影响较小,对主切削力影响较大;切削厚度对主切削力的影响较为明显,随切削厚度的增加,主切削力明显增加;沙柳材含水率15％以下主切削力随含水率增加略有增大,之后逐渐减小,其中含水率在30％-70％之间时,切削力变化不大。     

Dry weight loss of wood after the inoculation of Scots pine stumps with Phlebiopsis gigantea

Artificial inoculation of stumps with Phlebiopsis gigantea (preparation‘PgIBL’) against Heterobasidion annosum in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) stands on former agricultural lands in Poland is being performed throughout the year. The practical efficiency of the biological control appears to be influenced by the moisture content in stumps and roots. In experiment 1, dry weight loss of wood 3 months and 6 months after P. gigantea inoculation in laboratory was investigated in the stumps after salvage cutting (felling of dead and dying trees) and after thinning (routine cutting of trees) and compared with the decay of the artificially inoculated stumps under field conditions. It was found that 6 months after inoculation the dry weight loss of the samples was about 3%, 17% and 22%, respectively. In experiment 2, the decay of wood from horizontal roots collected after thinning, inoculated with P. gigantea in laboratory, was evaluated. Three months after the inoculation, the loss of dry weight wood was about 22–52%, depending on initial moisture of the roots.     

Finger-jointing green softwood: Evaluation of the interaction between polyurethane adhesive and wood

Abstract

Existing European standards for finger-jointing of load-bearing lumber require the wood to be dried before gluing. This article presents a study on the properties of green-glued finger joints, wet wood being bonded prior to drying. Issues to consider, in comparison to finger-jointing of dry wood, are mechanical performance of the joint, absorption of the polymer by the wood in its natural/wet state, and the chemical reactions of the adhesive on contact with water. Finger-jointed samples were tested in bending, and the glue joints analysed by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and microdensitometry. A patented one-component polyurethane adhesive developed for gluing-green wood which has a moisture content usually higher than 70% was used in the study. The resulting green-glued joints showed improved strength properties in comparison to dry-jointed joints. The results confirm that green-glued joints provide a wide, continuous wood/adhesive interface from one substrate to the other. The adhesive penetrates several cells deep and the density of the wood adjacent to the joint surfaces is increased. The results also indicate that the patented adhesive forms covalent bonds to the wood substrate.     

The influence of applied voltage on cutting forces in slow speed wood cutting

Summary Slow speed wood cutting tests were carried out in which cutting forces were measured as a function of applied tool-work electrical potential. The cutting tool and workpiece were electrically insulated so that there was no current flow. Applied potential had no discernible effect on the cutting forces measured in the cutting of unextracted and extracted wet wood.     

Combined effect of wood moisture content,drill bit rotational speed and feed rate on drilling resistance measurements in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.)

ABSTRACT

An IML-RESI PD 400 drilling tool and a standard spade drill bit (IML System GmbH, Wiesloch, Germany) were used to study the combined effect of wood moisture content (MC), drill bit rotational speed and feed rate on drilling resistance (DR) and feeding force (FF). Tests were made with Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) conditioned in a normal climate (20°C/65% RH), at 20°C/95% RH, vacuum-pressure impregnated in water, and oven-dried. Rotational speeds and feed rates had an impact on feed rate per cutting edge for the major cutting edge of the drill bit which was used for correlation with DR and FF for various MC. Impact of MC on DR and FF depended on rotational speeds and feed rates of the drill bit. For feed rates per cutting edge less than 0.09?mm, DR was higher for water saturated (WS) specimens. Negligible differences between DR for various MC were found for feed rates per cutting edge between 0.09 and 0.15?mm. DR was higher at low MC for feed rates per cutting edge which were higher than 0.15?mm. FF extremely increased in conditioned (20°C/95% RH) and WS specimens at feed rates per cutting edge less than 0.1?mm.     

Knife slicing of wood across the grain

Summary This paper investigates a method for slicing thick pieces of wood across the grain using a sharp steel knife, and it demonstrates the effectiveness of the knife slicing process at an experimental level. In order to highlight the key parameters facilitating or hindering the thick slicing process, several factors affecting the cutting forces and the cut surface quality have been studied; the blade geometry, the effect of friction, the cutting speed, the boundary load constraints and the wood moisture content. The results indicate that a large proportion of the cutting force may be related to the wedging action of the blade in the wood. Therefore, significant reductions in the cutting energy can be achieved by optimising the blade shape. A simple homogeneous strain model has been developed which quantifies the cutting forces in terms of the blade angle and the blade surface friction. The results from this theoretical model are compared with the experimental findings and discussed in relation to methods for improving the cutting technique.This work was funded by the Foundation for Research Science and Technology. This support is gratefully acknowledged     

Orthogonal cutting mechanics of maple: modeling a solid wood-cutting process

The experimental results of orthogonal cutting of maple and the modeling of the cutting mechanics are presented. The tool cutting forces were measured for different feed rates. A set of equations relating the tangential and feed forces to the tool edge width and feed rate (chip thickness) to calculate the chip and edge cutting force coefficients was developed. Then the chip force and edge force coefficients were calculated from experimentally obtained cutting forces and were plotted in a polar-coordinate system with respect to the fiber orientation of the maple disk. The polar-coordinate presentation of the cutting force results and the calculated cutting force coefficients provides an excellent visual appreciation of the relation between the cutting forces and the wood fiber orientation. Chips were also collected from various sectors of the wood disk. This analysis further identified the effects of fiber orientation and cutting forces on the types of chip formed and hence the cutting mechanics involved. By applying the calculated cutting coefficients for each tool orientation (in respect to the grain) it is possible to predict the feed and tangential forces for any feed rates. There is good agreement between the predicted and measured cutting forces.     

美国山核桃穗条含水率对嫁接成活率的影响

在大理州林业科学研究所试验基地分别对采集后贮藏8h、24h、48h、72h的美国山核桃穗条进行含水率测定,并用不同含水率的穗条进行嫁接试验。结果表明,穗条含水率对美国山核桃嫁接成活率有显著影响。穗条采集后贮藏8h含水率为33．45％,嫁接成活率为28．8％;贮藏24h含水率为32．65％,嫁接成活率最高,为61．3％;贮藏48h含水率为31．44％,嫁接成活率为43．8％;贮藏72h含水率为31．07％,嫁接成活率最低,为25．0％。穗条蜡封最佳时间为采集后1～2d。     

Corrosion of metal fasteners embedded in acetylated and untreated wood at different moisture contents

ABSTRACT

Acetylated wood is now commercially available and designed to be used in certain outdoor applications as an alternative to preservative-treated wood. Fastener corrosion can be a concern in preservative treated wood when the wood remains wet for long periods. However, little data on the corrosiveness of acetylated wood exists beyond the product literature. Here we examine the corrosiveness of commercially obtained acetylated wood and compare it against unmodified (untreated) southern pine (Pinus spp.). Corrosion rates of plain carbon steel, hot dip galvanized steel, and stainless steel were calculated gravimetrically after a one year exposed in the wood. Four different moisture conditions were examined: 90% relative humidity (RH), 95% RH, 100% RH, and a fully water saturated condition. When compared to literature data on the corrosion of fasteners in preservative treated wood at 100% RH, the acetylated wood had much lower steel corrosion rates than all preservatives examined; the measured corrosion rates for galvanized steel were lower than all preservatives except chromated copper arsenate. These measured corrosion rates across a range of moisture conditions can be used to inform the selection of appropriate corrosion resistant fasteners when building with acetylated wood.     

Moisture content profiles and uptake kinetics in wood cladding materials evaluated by a portable nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer

Abstract

This study evaluated the capability of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology based on small portable magnets for in situ studies of the local moisture content in wood. Low-field and low-resolution [¹H]NMR with a unilateral permanent magnet was used to monitor and map the moisture content of wood cladding materials of various types in a spatially resolved manner. The results show that portable NMR equipment based on small open-access permanent magnets can be successfully used for non-invasive monitoring of the moisture content in various extended wood specimens. The moisture content was measured with a depth resolution of 0.2 mm and a maximum penetration depth of 3 mm. This makes the technique suitable for in situ local moisture content measurements beneath a coating layer in the cladding, for example, and it is also possible to relate the moisture level to specific properties of the wood material.     

Mulch type and moisture level affect pupation depth of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhagoletis mendax</Emphasis> Curran (Diptera: Tephritidae) in the laboratory

Mulching can be beneficial for organic highbush blueberry production, but its effects on insect pests have received little attention. For pests that pupate in soil, depth may affect pupation success due to differences in temperature and moisture, mortality factors such as predation, or efficacy of controls such as insecticidal soil drenches. We examined how mulch type and moisture affect pupation depth for Rhagoletis mendax Curran (blueberry maggot), an important pest of blueberries. In laboratory studies, pupation depth was measured in wood waste compost, uncomposted pine needles, soil and sand, each at dry, field moisture levels and wet, 99% water holding capacity conditions. Pupation occurred more deeply but with greater variability in pine needle mulch compared to compost mulch, soil, or sand. Approximately 50% of maggots pupated on the surface of wet soil, however, maggots burrowed more deeply in wet than in dry pine needles. Moisture level did not significantly affect pupation depth in compost or sand. Some larvae unexpectedly escaped the stacks of cups used to assess pupation depth or died before forming a puparium. Less than 70% of stacks with dry pine needles contained pupae, and fewer pupae were recovered from wet than dry compost and soil. These results suggest that mulch material and/or moisture levels can have significant impacts on R. mendax pupation depth with potential implications for its management.     

Micromorphology,moisture sorption and mechanical properties of a biocomposite based on acetylated wood particles and cellulose ester

Abstract

One of the major issues in a long-term perspective for the use of wood–plastic composites (WPCs) in outdoor applications is the moisture sensitivity of the wood component and the consequent dimensional instability and susceptibility to biological degradation of the composite. In this work, the effects of using an acetylated wood component and a cellulose ester as matrix on the micromorphology, mechanical performance and moisture uptake of injection-moulded WPCs have been studied. Composites based on unmodified and acetylated wood particles, specially designed with a length-to-width ratio of about 5–7, combined with both cellulose acetate propionate (CAP) and polypropylene (PP) matrices were studied. The size and shape of the wood particles were studied before and after the processing using light microscopy, and the micromorphology of the composites was studied using a newly developed surface preparation technique based on ultraviolet laser irradiation combined with low-vacuum scanning electron microscopy (LV-SEM). The water vapour sorption in the composites and the effect of accelerated weathering were measured using thin samples which were allowed to reach equilibrium moisture content (EMC). The length-to-diameter ratio was only slightly decreased for the acetylated particles after compounding and injection moulding, although both the unmodified and the acetylated particles were smaller in size after the processing steps. The tensile strength was about 40% higher for the composite based on acetylated wood than for the composite with unmodified wood using either CAP or PP as matrix, whereas the notched impact strength of the composite based on acetylated wood was about 20% lower than those of the corresponding unmodified composites. The sorption experiments showed that the EMC was 50% lower in the composites with an acetylated wood component than in the composites with an unmodified wood component. The choice of matrix material strongly affected the moisture absorptivity of the WPC. The composites with CAP as matrix gained moisture more rapidly than the composites with PP as matrix. It was also found that accelerated ageing in a Weather-Ometer® significantly increased the moisture sensitivity of the PP-based composites.     

Fuel quality of Norway spruce stumps – influence of harvesting technique and storage method

Abstract

The interest in using stump biomass as a biofuel has recently increased in Sweden. The uneven consumption of wood fuel during the year creates a need for storage. This study examined the properties of stump biomass and how they vary at two sites in Sweden depending on harvesting technique, storage method and storage period. Norway spruce stumps, extracted using three different stump harvesting heads (Pallari, Rotary Cutter and Aalto), were stored in windrows or heaps. After 3 months, stumps stored in heaps were gathered into windrows. The fuel quality parameters moisture content (MC), ash content (AC) and calorific value (CV) were evaluated on five occasions in the period May 2008–September 2009. After 16 months of storage, the MC in all treatments had decreased to <25% (wet basis). Average AC decreased from 3.8% to around 1% (dry basis), whereas CV marginally increased. Stumps split during harvesting dried better than those harvested in one piece. The influence of storage method was minimal, although initial storage in heaps allowed better drying in the stumps harvested in one piece. In general, fuel quality improved in all treatments after storage.     

Hygrothermolytic wood modification. process description and treatment level characterisation

ABSTRACT

This article describes and explains a relatively unknown thermal wood modification process in pressurised unsaturated steam. Compared to other processes for the thermal conversion of wood, this hygrothermolytic (HGT) process has the unique feature of an additional independent and continuous process variable, enabling the full control of the water activity throughout the entire heating cycle. This process covers the technology gap between dry thermal and hydrothermal processes, offering a potential to optimise between the extreme processes, in search for improved material properties and improved process characteristics. The suitability of four different treatment intensity markers (mass loss, equilibrium moisture content, oxygen/carbon (O/C) atomic ratio and electron spin resonance signal) is tested on beech wood over the entire range from low-pressure (dry) to high-pressure (moist and wet) processes. Each marker has its own merits and different sensitivity for the broad palette of changing physicochemical wood properties during heat treatment, but all methods proved to be useful for routine production quality control. The O/C-ratio has the unique advantage that it provides an absolute thermal treatment level rating, neither requiring a control reference nor the knowledge of the wood species and any of the thermal treatment process details.     

Water content measurement in black spruce and aspen sapwood with benchtop and portable magnetic resonance devices

Abstract

In this study, water content in black spruce (Picea mariana Mill.) and aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) sapwood samples was investigated with time-domain magnetic resonance (MR). Time-domain MR measurements easily distinguish water in different environments in wood according to the spin-spin relaxation time and provide quantitative information on water content. The MR techniques employed can distinguish and quantify the individual signal components. Both black spruce and aspen have two signal components at moisture contents above the fiber saturation point. These two signal components correspond to motionally restricted water, often referred to as bound water, and unrestricted, or free water. Bound water content is constant above 40% moisture content. No signal from free water was detected at or below 20% moisture content in either species. We also demonstrate the use of a recently developed portable unilateral magnet that can be employed as a powerful tool in the study and measurement of water content in wood.     

Effects of strain-rate on the transverse strength of Pinus radiata wood

Summary The effects of strain-rate, moisture content, and bulk density on the transverse fracture properties of Pinus radiata wood are described. As the strain-rate is increased from 2×10^-6 sec^-1 to 10² sec^-1, the strengths of both wet and airdry woods increase, with the greater increase occuring in wet wood. At the same time, the failure strain tends to decrease. The energy absorbed by airdry wood decreases, and that absorbed by wet wood increases. An explanation of the variation of strength with strain-rate is developed. Initially the measured strength of latewood is related to the strength of the compound middle lamella matrix connecting adjacent tracheids, and then by making the assumption that wood failure occurs when a certain proportion of the load bearing hydrogen bonds in the matrix have failed, and by applying reaction rate theory to the formation and rupture of the stressed hydrogen bonds, a strength versus time to failure relationship that is in good agreement with the experimental data is derived.The work described below was carried out at the Physics and Engineering Laboratory as part of a PhD research program at the Victoria University of Wellington.     

Effects of fire-retardant treatment and wood grain on three-dimensional changes of sandwich panels made from bubinga decorative veneer

ABSTRACT

The effects of a fire-retardant treatment (FRT) and wood grain on three-dimensional changes of aircraft sandwich panels were evaluated. Unvarnished and varnished panels having the outer decorative layer made with bubinga (Guibourtia spp.) were studied. Half of the samples from each type of panel received an FRT (phosphate-based) on all three layers of the decorative plywood. The other half had the two inner layers treated and the outer layer untreated. Three different figures formed by the rotary cutting and grain orientation were identified and separately studied on veneer surfaces. Samples pre-conditioned to 20°C and 40% relative humidity (RH) underwent an adsorption (25°C, 90% RH) and then a desorption (25°C, 40% RH) treatments. Changes in moisture content (MC), swelling, shrinkage, roughness, and waviness were measured after each moisture exposure condition. The results showed that the FRT increased significantly MC, swelling, and shrinkage of unvarnished and varnished panels. This treatment as well as the type of wood figure affected roughness and waviness variations of unvarnished panels. However, the effects of these two factors were not noticeable once panels were varnished.     

Effects of temperature and moisture content on selected wood mechanical properties involved in the chipping process

The effects of temperature and moisture content on selected mechanical properties associated with the chipping process were evaluated. In chipping, mechanical properties such as shear parallel to the grain, cleavage, and bending are involved. Matched samples of heartwood and sapwood were obtained from freshly harvested logs of black spruce and balsam fir to determine the variation of the studied mechanical properties between ?30 and 20 °C, at intervals of 10 °C. Moisture content (MC), basic density (BD), and annual ring width (RW) were measured for each sample. For both wood species, temperature had a significant effect on all mechanical properties under freezing conditions (below 0 °C). This effect was more important for sapwood than for heartwood, which was explained by the difference in MC between these two types of wood. Between 0 and 20 °C, temperature and type of wood did not show any significant effect on the mechanical properties. Multiple regression models were obtained to predict the mechanical properties. These regressions showed that MC was the most important factor to explain the mechanical properties below 0 °C. However, for temperatures of 0 °C and higher, BD was the principal factor to predict the mechanical properties. RW was not a significant factor to predict any mechanical property. Cleavage was the most sensitive one to changes in temperature followed by shear, modulus of rupture, and modulus of elasticity. These results could be of great importance in the chipping process.     

不同树种木材切削阻力变动模型

根据１１种针叶树材和１５种阔叶树材切削阻力的研究结果，推出不同树种木材主切削力变动模型，描述不同树种木材切削阻力在不同切削条件下变动的规律，并可对此种变动进行估计。模型由三部分组成：不同条件下切削阻力的平均水平；不同树种中切削厚度、刀具前角和木材含水率对切削阻力的影响；不同条件下木材密度与切削阻力的关系。