Fatigue strength and design stress of oil palm wood for furniture application.

Oil palm wood (OPW) and oil palm empty fruit bunches based particleboard (OPEFBP) furniture components were tested on edge in order to determine their resistance to fatigue. Tests were carried out at selected stress levels that corresponded to specific percentages of the material's ultimate strength (modulus of rupture - MOR). Generally, the materials fatigue life decreased as the levels of stress increased, and the allowable design stresses for the OPW and OPEFBP furniture components could be set at 40% of their respective MOR. The study also showed that OPW does not perform as well as solid Rubberwood in cyclic loading, but the OPEFBP showed similar fatigue performance to the conventional Rubberwood-based particleboard

Bending and fatigue strength of mortise and tenon furniture joints made from oil palm lumber.

The bending and fatigue strengths of rectangular mortise and tenon furniture joints made from oil palm lumber and solid Rubberwood were compared. The results showed that the ultimate bending moment of the oil palm lumber joints were half of the strength value of Rubberwood joints. The results showed that for both materials the allowable design stresses for rectangular mortise and tenon joints could be set at 20% of its bending strength

Sustaining the South East Asian wood products sector through education: the German lesson

While human capital is recognized as an important productivity driver, the South East Asian wood products sector has not paid attention to the human resource development agenda comparable to the scale shown by their German counterparts. The competitive edge of the German wood products sector is attributed to the training and education of a competent workforce, which is able to capitalize on the state of the art woodworking technology. A competent and highly trained workforce is a prerequisite for the sustainable growth of the South East Asian wood products sector, as they embark on the manufacture of greater value-added wood products

The fatigue characteristics of two-pin moment-resisting dowel furniture joints with different assembly time and glueline thickness

The fatigue strength of two-pin dowel end to side-grain rubberwood furniture joints made from PVAc of different glueline thickness and joint assembly times were compared. Joints assembled immediately after machining had significantly higher strength compared to those joints assembled after 1 week and 1 month. The results showed that the allowable design stress for PVAc dowel adhesive joints of 0.01 mm glueline thickness could be set at 25 % of its ultimate bending moment, which conforms to the strength requirements in service

Load-bearing characteristics of heat-treated rubberwood furniture components and joints

The load bearing characteristics of heat-treated rubberwood furniture components and joints were studied. It was found that heat-treated samples had significantly lower fatigue strength compared to the conventionally kiln-dried rubberwood samples, which were used as control specimens. Inevitably, the recommended allowable design stresses for heat-treated rubberwood furniture components and joints could be set at 40 and 25 % of the respective bending strengths, in order to ensure its compliance with furniture performance standards. These figures are much lower than the allowable design stresses for conventionally kiln dried components, reflecting the need for a lower safety margin when working with heat-treated materials

Performance and stability of historic casein formaldehyde

Casein formaldehyde was manufactured between 1904 and 1982 in Western Europe both by International Galalith Gesellschaft (IGG) and Erinoid Ltd. (amongst others). Charles Rennie Mackintosh used it in his designs for furniture commissioned by Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke. Casein formaldehyde may be identified through a range of simple and analytical methods available to most conservators in private and public practice. We can control the loss of colour and protect the surface finish by minimising light exposure. Material, aged and distorted, may be reversed if the correct conservation procedures are observed and implemented

Fatigue strength of mortise and tenon furniture joints made from oil palm lumber and some Malaysian timbers.

A study was undertaken to evaluate comparative bending and fatigue strengths of rectangular mortise and tenon furniture joints made from oil palm (Eleais guineensis) lumber against a few established furniture wood materials. This is owing to the fact that, although the rectangular mortise and tenon joints are the most commonly joints used in chair construction, studies on its strength under cyclic loading is very limited. The fact that furniture joints are the weakest link in the furniture structure, it is necessary to establish its strength performance especially under repeated loading as experienced by the chair in service. The results showed that the bending strength of the oil palm lumber joints were half the strength of the wooden joints. However, in terms of fatigue strength, joints made from oil palm lumber showed comparable performance with the other wood materials. The results also showed that the allowable design stresses for rectangular mortise and tenon joints could be set at 20% of its bending strength. This study has far reaching implications on furniture engineering as it suggest that proper joint design is mandatory not only to ensure the furniture’s reliability in service, but also improve its aesthetic and production imperatives

The effects of ISO 9001 quality management system on innovation and management capacities in the Malaysian furniture sector.

Although the ISO 9001 quality management system is often perceived to be a marketing tool within the manufacturing industry, its implications on the innovation and management capacities of the furniture industry remain unknown. A survey of furniture manufacturers in Malaysia revealed that lack of innovation and ineffective management were among the main problems faced within the industry. Using a structured questionnaire, a survey of the ISO-certified manufacturers revealed that the ISO 9001 quality management system has a positive correlation on process innovation but not on product innovation. Therefore, ISO-certification would be beneficial for productivity improvement and identifying cost-cutting measures in furniture manufacturing enterprises. On the other hand, ISO-certification has a significant influence on the management of furniture enterprises, especially with regards to systematic decision-making and boosting the level of professionalism. Therefore, ISO-certification may be a useful tool to enhance the management competency and also improve the productivity within the furniture manufacturing sector

Study on group technology efficiency gains for solid wood seating furniture

Group Technology (GT) a concept started in the 1920s to reduce transportation by standardising products in machine manufacturers is used here in the production technology of manufacturing furniture. The similarity in structural shape and technology of parts are classified arranging product parts into groups in order to organise and manage multiple varieties, small and medium-sized batches. This article aims to resolve the polarity between the demand for mass production of solid wood chairs & stools and the market demands for small batches and multiple varieties of seating furniture. The study classifies and organises the wooden components according to the managed data. Following analysis the results are used to gain efficiencies of manufacturing by adopting the GT method