Finishing characteristics of heat treated and compressed rubberwood.

The finishing characteristics of heat-treated and compressed Rubberwood were studied. It was found that heat-treated samples had significantly lower finish adhesion strength compared to the conventionally kiln-dried Rubberwood samples, which were used as control specimens. Further, compression of the specimens had also reduced its surface roughness, with an adverse effect on the finish adhesion strength. Inevitably, the use of heat treated and compressed wood in furniture may be suitable for applications, where lower finish adhesion strength could be tolerated at the expense of better finish film quality and process economics, especially in the manufacture of outdoor wooden furniture

Particle size distribution of wood dust in Rubberwood furniture manufacturing

The study evaluated the concentration and particle size distribution of air-borne wood dust in the Rubberwood furniture manufacturing industry. Air quality samples were measured at routing and hand-sanding work stations in furniture factories using the micro-orifice uniform deposit impactor (MOUDI) air-quality measuring instrument. It was found that less than 25% of the air-borne wood dust particles at the two work stations were less than 10 μm in size, which in turn did not pose major respiratory health hazards. However, the high wood dust concentrations at the two work stations is a matter of concern, and efforts must be taken to minimize the air-borne wood dust exposure levels workers are subjected to in the rubberwood furniture manufacturing industry

Evaluation of Some Finishing Properties of Oil Palm Particleboard for Furniture Application

The finishing properties of particleboard made from the Empty-Fruit Bunch (EFB) of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) were evaluated for its suitability for furniture applications, using different coating and overlay materials. The results found that the thick plastic-formica overlay provided the best surface finish, in terms of surface smoothness, adhesion strength and impact resistance. Although the polyurethane lacquer provided an acceptable finish, its quality and performance is not comparable to that of the thick plastic overlay. Despite the fact that the use of such overlay material may render the material not aesthetically appealing and limit it to concealed applications or where the thick overlay material is tolerated, its cost competitiveness and environmental friendliness may be able to position the oil palm particleboard as a substitute for the conventional wood-based particleboard in the furniture manufacturing industry

A Comparative Analysis Of The Psychological Profile Of Institutionalised Drug Using Population.

Kajian-kajian yang dijalankan telah menunjukkan bahawa beberapa ciri-ciri personaliti didapati berada tergabung dengan tingkahlaku penagihan dadah. Tetapi dari kajian-kajian tersebut kita tidak dapat membuat kesimpulan,samada ciri-ciri ini adalah akibat daripada penagihan ataupun ciri-ciri yang menyebabkan penagiha

Three-Dimensional Simulations of Massive Stars: II. Age Dependence

We present 3D full star simulations, reaching up to 90% of the total stellar radius, for three $7M_\odot$ stars of different ages (ZAMS, midMS and TAMS). A comparison with several theoretical prescriptions shows the generation spectra for all three ages are dominated by convective plumes. Two distinct overshooting layers are observed, with most plumes stopped within the layer situated directly above the convective boundary (CB); overshooting to the second, deeper layer becomes increasingly more infrequent with stellar age. Internal gravity wave (IGW) propagation is significantly impacted in the midMS and TAMS models as a result of some IGWs getting trapped within their Brunt-V\"{a}is\"{a}l\"{a} frequency spikes. A fundamental change in the wave structure across radius is also observed, driven by the effect of density stratification on IGW propagation causing waves to become evanescent within the radiative zone, with older stars being affected more strongly. We find that the steepness of the frequency spectrum at the surface increases from ZAMS to the older models, with older stars also showing more modes in their spectra.Comment: 24 pages, 14 figures / Accepted at Ap

Dust, noise and chemical solvents exposure of workers in the wooden furniture industry in South East Asia.

A study was carried out to evaluate the dust, noise and chemical solvents exposure among workers in the wooden furniture industry in the South East Asian region comprising Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. A total of 30 factories were selected from each country for the study. Air quality samples at the machining and sanding workstations were measured using the micro-orifice uniform deposit impactor (MOUDI), which separated the particles into different sizes. The results showed that the average dust concentration in the machining section was lower than that in the sanding section, but total inhalable dust particles of less than 10 μm in diameter, was less than 25% by weight. Portable noise-level measurements showed that the rough-milling operations recorded the highest noise-level in the furniture factories in the region. Personal dosimeter measurement results show that 43% of the workers were exposed to noise-levels higher than the permissible limit, with 34.7% of the workers suffered from hearing handicap. The study also found that the current exposure levels for both chemical solvents and formaldehyde in the wooden furniture industry in the countries within the South East Asian region were higher than the Permissible Exposure Levels (PEL). Therefore, it was apparent that despite the existent of a comparable Occupational Health and Safety regulations in the region, its implementation and enforcement within the wooden furniture industry must be improved to ensure the workers safety and health

Dust generation characteristics of hardwoods during the sanding process.

A study of the factors that influence dust-generation during the sanding process of Malaysian hardwoods was undertaken. It was found that the amount of wood removed during the sanding process predetermined dust-generation, although the wood density and abrasive grit used also played a role. Consequently, low density wood species produced higher dust-concentration due to its relative ease of sanding, and vice-versa. The results of the study suggest that minimizing dust-generation during the hardwood sanding process could be achieved by ensuring minimal amount of wood removal as well as the use of the coarsest possible abrasive grit in the process