Treesearch

As part of international efforts to evaluate alternative reaction-to-fire tests, several series of room/comer tests have been conducted. This paper reviews the overall results of related projects in which different test protocols for standard room/corner tests were used. Differences in the test protocols involved two options for the ignition burner scenario and whether the ceiling was also lined with the test materials. The test materials were placed on three walls of the room in all the tests. The two burner scenarios were (1) 40 kW for 300 s followed by 160 kW for 300 s and (2) 100 kW...

Finely divided aspen and spruce woods and a high lignin pine kraft pulp have been selectively delignified to low lignin levels using aqueous solutions of polyoxometalates under anaerobic conditions. The reduced polyoxometalates in the solutions can be reoxidized with oxygen and act as wet oxidation catalysts for the mineralization of the solubilized lignin and carbohydrate fragments to carbon dioxide and water.

Wood may be described as an orthotropic material with unique and independent mechanical properties in the directions of three mutually perpendicular axes– longitudinal ( L ), radial ( R ), and tangential (T ). These mechanical properties are also called engineering constants. Orthotropic materials are of special relevance to composite materials. Therefore, mathematical relations and experimental procedures for engineering constants of orthotropic composites can be conveniently applied to wood when considered as an engineering material. In this paper, we present how variation of shear...

Brightness, strength, economy, and paper machine runnability are common concerns of pacemakers who use virgin or recycled fiber furnishes. Fiber loadining, a process that precipitates calcium carbonate partially inside the fiber lumen, is a cost-effective technology that could substantially upgrade mechanical pulp furnishes. This study demonstrates the optical and physical handsheet property advantages of fiber loading typical newsprint and thermomechanical pulp (TMP) furnishes. Inclusion of hydrogen peroxide during fiber loading prevented the expected alkaline darkening. Moreover, brief...

In 1991, the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) formed a joint cooperative research program for wood transportation structures. Development and execution of this program was based on a national assessment of research needs and priorities. In the 5 years since completion of the research needs assessment, significant research has been completed or is ongoing for wood transportation structures. This publication provides a summary of the research accomplishments of the joint FPL1FHWA research program for wood transportation...

A density-dependent matrix growth model of uneven-aged loblolly pine stands was developed with data from 991 permanent plots in the southern United States. The model predicts the number of pine, soft hardwood, and hard hardwood trees in 13 diameter classes, based on equations for ingrowth, upgrowth, and mortality. Projections of 6 to 10 years agreed with the growth of stands between the last two inventories. In 300-year simulations of undisturbed growth, softwood species were replaced by hardwoods, in accord with previous knowledge. Soft hardwood species became dominant on good sites and...

Aspen (Populus gradidentata) and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) flakes were prepared with tangential-grain and radial-grain faces on a laboratory disk flaker. These were gently dried in a steam-heated rotary drum dryer. Approximately 1 week after drying, surface wettability was measured on a large sample of flakes using an aqueous dye solution. Three replicate boards of each combination of flake species and face grain were then fabricated. Each of the three replicate boards was made with a different adhesive resin. The three adhesives were urea-formaldehyde, phenolic, and neat isocyanate. The...

This report lists wood-based panel industry plant locations, production capacities, timber inventories, and wood costs for 24 U.S. states. Industry sectors covered include medium-density fiberboard, particleboard, softwood plywood, and oriented strandboard. Maps of major forest producing states show plant locations and the underlying density of timber stocking by county. The study relates physical measures of timber availability to market measures of timber scarcity and draws inferences about the potential of selected states to increase timber output at their present rate of forest...

As part of a continuing cooperative research between the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility (MwRSF); the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory (FPL); and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), several crashworthy wood bridge railings and approach railing transitions have been adapted for use on concrete bridge decks. These railings meet testing and evaluation criteria outlined in National Cooperative Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350, Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features, and include a glued-laminated timber (glulam) rail, with and...

Fungal decay of wood in service results in billions of dollars (U.S.) in losses annually. Recent environmental restrictions, both U.S. and international, are limiting and eliminating the use of broad-spectrum, heavy metal biocides for wood preservation. Restrictions result primarily from problems with disposal. New wood preservatives need to be developed and tested which specifically target key elements in the sequence of fungal decay mechanisms. Our laboratory has been experimenting with chemicals which inhibit pectin hydrolysis during incipient brown-rot and white-rot decay in southern...