Sources of wood & wood residues for energy production in Indiana

As energy prices rise and there is a push for energy to be produced from renewable resources, the contribution of Indiana’s corn and soybean industry often overshadows the impact that the State’s wood residues can have in response to these demands. Reports show that the wood products industry is the largest, by paid wages, of any agricultural industry in Indiana and employs 47,000 Indianans.1 In fact, Indiana has more than 4.5 million acres of forest land,2 compared to about 12.3 million acres of cropland.3 In addition to the millions of acres of forestland, Indiana has more than 1,600 wood products companies in the primary and secondary sector.1 Because the wood products industry does not use the same resources, markets, or technology as many industries in the grain and livestock agricultural sectors, it is sometimes excluded in agricultural discussions. However, the discussion of lignocellulosic (“plant-based”) materials for use as a bioenergy feedstock would be incomplete without mentioning the contribution that wood and wood residues can add. In fact, of the six strategies to expand and strengthen Indiana’s agricultural economy that were laid out in A Strategic Plan for Indiana’s Agricultural Economy,1 two were related to growing Indiana’s wood and wood products industry and one to bioenergy

Sources of wood & wood residues for energy production in Indiana

As energy prices rise and there is a push for energy to be produced from renewable resources, the contribution of Indiana’s corn and soybean industry often overshadows the impact that the State’s wood residues can have in response to these demands. Reports show that the wood products industry is the largest, by paid wages, of any agricultural industry in Indiana and employs 47,000 Indianans.1 In fact, Indiana has more than 4.5 million acres of forest land,2 compared to about 12.3 million acres of cropland.3 In addition to the millions of acres of forestland, Indiana has more than 1,600 wood products companies in the primary and secondary sector.1 Because the wood products industry does not use the same resources, markets, or technology as many industries in the grain and livestock agricultural sectors, it is sometimes excluded in agricultural discussions. However, the discussion of lignocellulosic (“plant-based”) materials for use as a bioenergy feedstock would be incomplete without mentioning the contribution that wood and wood residues can add. In fact, of the six strategies to expand and strengthen Indiana’s agricultural economy that were laid out in A Strategic Plan for Indiana’s Agricultural Economy,1 two were related to growing Indiana’s wood and wood products industry and one to bioenergy

The Effect of end Distance and Number of Ready-to-Assemble Furniture Fasteners on Bending moment Resistance of Corner Joints

Although they are widely used by the furniture industry, ready-to-assemble (RTA) furniture fasteners are a relatively new style of joinery. The object of this study was to investigate the effect of end distance of cam-lock RTA fasteners and nonglued wooden dowels on the splitting and bending moment resistance, respectively, of RTA corner joints. Laminated particleboard, cam fasteners, and wooden dowels were used for specimen construction (as used in the furniture industry). In two studies, L-shaped joint specimens 760 mm long were tested in compression. The first study showed that end splits in panels were eliminated when cam fasteners were located 60 mm from the member ends. In the second study, specimens with two cam fasteners supported by 2, 3, 4, or 5 nonglued dowels were tested. These specimens had significantly higher bending moment resistance than comparable joints that used only cam fasteners but no dowels. Thus, it was concluded that unglued dowels used to position parts for assembly substantially reinforce joints constructed with cam fasteners

Sources of Wood and Wood Residues for Energy Production in Indiana

As energy prices rise and there is a push for energy to be produced from renewable resources, the contribution of Indiana’s corn and soybean industry often overshadows the impact that wood residues can have in response to these demands. Reports show that the wood products industry is the largest, by paid wages, of any agricultural industry in Indiana and employs 47,000 Hoosiers (Biocrossroads 2005). In fact, Indiana has more than 4.5 million acres of forest land (USDA FS, FIA 2005) compared to about 12.3 million acres of crop land (NASS 2006). In addition to the millions of acres of forestland, Indiana has more than 1600 wood products companies in the primary and secondary sector (Biocrossroads 2005). Because the wood products industry does not use the same resources, markets, or technology as many industries in the grain and livestock agricultural sectors, it is sometimes excluded in agricultural discussions. However, the discussion of lignocellulosic (plant-based) materials for use as a bioenergy feedstock would be incomplete without mentioning the contribution that wood and wood residues can add. In fact, of the six strategies to expand and strengthen Indiana’s agricultural economy that were laid out in A Strategic Plan for Indiana’s Agricultural Economy (Biocrossroads 2005), two were related to growing Indiana’s wood and wood products industry and one to bioenergy

Thermally Treated to Perfection: Enhancing Wood Color and Properties with Surface Thermal Treatment

Darker-colored wood species usually have highervalues, many of which are endangered and underprotection. Chemical stains and finishes might alsoachieve similar color shades, but customers prefernon-chemical alternatives. Thermal treatment (TT)is one of the low-toxicity choices. It could producedarker shades and enhance some materialproperties but requires a large initial investmentand is time-consuming. This study aimed toevaluate a new type of TT: Surface ThermalTreatment (STT). White Ash, Yellow Poplar, and RedOak were selected and treated on a heated pressat varying temperatures and times. Artificial NeuralNetwork (ANN) was employed to model therelationship between temperature, time, and colorchange. Results demonstrated that STT can achieveefficient thermal modification. The combination oftemperature and duration brought differentshades to all 3 species. Application of the ANNmodel can simulate the process results fast with ahigh degree of accuracy (R2 =0.96)

Product Engineering and Performance Testing in Relation to Strength Design of Furniture

This article contains a narrative description of the history, current status, and possible future progress of the product engineering, strength design, and performance testing of furniture. Product engineering is covered both in general and from a furniture perspective. Strength design of furniture forms the essential part of the article.Reliability concepts are depicted in general both in their application to furniture and in their incorporation into standards for performance testing. The major objective of reliability and performance testing is to improve the durability and safety of furniture products and to predict failure or unexpected problems associated with them.Testing and evaluation are needed to obtain safe and reliable furniture and should provide pertinent expected performance information to manufacturers and customers alike. Both the history of development of strength design and its current stage of development are treated, along with suggestions for its use in improvement of furniture construction. In conclusion, an integrated methodology for the production of high strength furniture in view of current technological improvements is outlined

Promoting The Use of Advanced Technologies for Sustainable Charcoal and Biochar Production in Developing Countries

Fabricating a small-scale and cost-effective biochar/charcoal retort is most economical when farmers/producers have the materials on hand and the skills (i.e., welding) to manufacture it since inappropriate technologies affect the yield and quality of biochar. As farmers gain more knowledge and skills in manufacturing these different technologies at their convenience, they could make the right choices in subsequent years ahead and advocate sustainable agricultural practices. We analyzed existing technologies in Indiana and Ghana using desk study, questionnaires and interviews as we give recommendations on the design properties of some appropriate charcoal and biochar conversion methods for small scale usage based on their production and use variables

Approach to furniture design education at Purdue University

Abstract: This article contains a brief description of furniture design educational approach at Purdue University, Wood Research Laboratory. Aesthetic design, strength design, and design for manufacturing are presented and emphasized to student as equal components of a good design. Students are trained to understand these components and use them in synergy. Product engineering, strength design, and performance testing of furniture are essential parts of the furniture design curriculum. Performance testing is a common tool used to improve the durability and safety of furniture products and to predict failure or unexpected problems associated with the proposed construction. Students are trained that product testing and evaluation are needed to obtain safe and reliable furniture products and should provide pertinent information to designers, manufacturers and customers. Encouraged hands-on experience and rapid prototyping by CNC equipment are essential components of furniture design education, and the overall teaching method leads to meritorious student designs

Rectangular Mortise and Full-Width Tenon Joints in Ready-to-Assemble Light-Frame Timber Constructions

Research has demonstrated the suitability of light-frame timber constructions for ready-to-assemble housing. In this study, tests were conducted to determine the semirigid rotation characteristics of full-width mortise and tenon joints along with their moment capacity. Semirigid rotation factors varied from 12.27 × 10-6 rad/N·m for joints with 37.9-mm-thick × 146.1-mm-deep rails with 93.0-mm-deep tenons to 2.57 × 10-6 rad/N·m for 36.5-mm-thick × 254.0-mm-deep rails with 200.2-mm-deep tenons. Moment capacity of joints with full-width tenons varied from 9360 N·m for 36.5-mm-thick × 254-mm-deep rails with 200.2-mm-deep tenons to 2810 N·m for joints with 37.9-mm-thick × 146.1-mm-deep rails with 93.0-mm-deep tenons. Moment capacity of the joints could be closely estimated by regression expressions that take into account shear area along the neutral axis between the cross-pin and the end of the tenon and shear area of the relish itself