Some Surfacing Defects and Problems Related To Wood Moisture Content

The mechanical properties and dimensions of wood vary as moisture content varies, so moisture content affects wood machining processes and products. Wood machining problems associated with moisture content generally result in machining defects of the wood surface or tool wear. Chip type and machining defects are described and related to the strength properties and moisture content of wood. A method for selecting rake angle is described. Also the effects of wood moisture content upon abrasive belt loading and tool wear are briefly discussed

Government Performance and Life Satisfaction in Contemporary Britain

This paper investigates relationships between public policy outcomes and life satisfaction in contemporary Britain. Monthly national surveys gathered between April 2004 and December 2008 are used to analyze the impact of policy delivery both at the micro and macro levels, the former relating to citizens personal experiences, and the latter to cognitive evaluations of and affective reactions to the effectiveness of policies across the country as a whole. The impact of salient political events and changes in economic context involving the onset of a major financial crisis also are considered. Analyses reveal that policy outcomes, especially microlevel ones, significantly influence life satisfaction. The effects of both micro- and macrolevel outcomes involve both affective reactions to policy delivery and cognitive judgments about government performance. Controlling for these and other factors, the broader economic context in which policy judgments are made also influences life satisfaction. © 2010 Southern Political Science Association

Cast iron-base alloy for cylinder/regenerator housing

NASACC-1 is a castable iron-base alloy designed to replace the costly and strategic cobalt-base X-40 alloy used in the automotive Stirling engine cylinder/generator housing. Over 40 alloy compositions were evaluated using investment cast test bars for stress-rupture testing. Also, hydrogen compatibility and oxygen corrosion resistance tests were used to determine the optimal alloy. NASACC-1 alloy was characterized using elevated and room temperature tensile, creep-rupture, low cycle fatigue, heat capacity, specific heat, and thermal expansion testing. Furthermore, phase analysis was performed on samples with several heat treated conditions. The properties are very encouraging. NASACC-1 alloy shows stress-rupture and low cycle fatigue properties equivalent to X-40. The oxidation resistance surpassed the program goal while maintaining acceptable resistance to hydrogen exposure. The welding, brazing, and casting characteristics are excellent. Finally, the cost of NASACC-1 is significantly lower than that of X-40

Vulnerable Americans rally around a president in a crisis. but polarization means this hasn’t happened during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Historically in times of crisis, presidents experience a polling boost as Americans ‘rally around the flag’, but this has not been the case during President Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. In new analysis, Harold Clarke, Marianne Stewart and Paul Whiteley find that the massive partisan and ideological differences in the electorate meant that the expected spike in Trump’s support did not occur – especially among the most vulnerable, who would ordinarily be more likely to rally around the president

Knife- Versus Abrasive-Planed Wood: Quality of Adhesive Bonds

Glueline strength and durability were determined for abrasive- versus knife-planed wood surfaces. Laminated beam sections were made, 16 each of southern pine and Douglas-fir, using 4 surfacing treatments prior to laminating. The four treatments were knife planing, and abrasive planing with 36, 60, and 80 grit. Comparisons were made of resistance to glueline separation after accelerated aging, of bond shear strength, and of percentage wood failure within a species group.Under microscopic examination, abrasive planing showed crushing and tearing of the wood surface, whereas knife planing showed a clean-cut surface. Gluelines with abrasive-planed surfaces were similar to the knife-planed in shear strength, were higher in percentage of wood failure, and lower in resistance to glueline separation upon accelerated aging

Ecological Distribution of Breeding Waterfowl Populations in North Dakota

The distribution of breeding waterfowl populations on various wetland habitat types was investigated in North Dakota during 1967-69. Data were obtained by stratified random sampling techniques. The total wetland acreage in North Dakota was estimated to be about 3.2 million acres. Natural basin wetlands comprised about 77 percent of the acreage and 91 percent of the number of wetlands in the state and were utilized by about 76 percent of the state\u27s breeding duck population. Among the four biotic regions of the state, numerical and areal composition of wetlands varied considerably. Natural basin wetlands varied from a low of about 4 percent of total wetland acreage in the Southwestern Slope Region to a high of 93 percent in the Prairie Pothole Region. About 84 percent of the statewide duck population occurred in the Prairie Pothole Region. Within the Prairie Pothole Region, seasonal (Class III) ponds comprised 36 and 23 percent, respectively, of the total acreage and number of wetlands, and semipermanent (Class IV) ponds and lakes comprised 18 and 3 percent, respectively, of these totals. Agriculture has had drastic effects on the wetlands in this region as evidenced by the fact that natural basin wetlands with tilled bottom soils (chiefly Class II and Class III wetlands) comprised about 29 percent of area but 52 percent of numbers of all wet- lands. In the Prairie Pothole Region, seasonal ponds and semipermanent ponds and lakes were utilized by about 48 and 27 percent, respectively, of the total breeding ducks. Optimum environmental conditions for breeding dabbling ducks were present during years when large numbers and acreages of seasonal (Class III) pond basins contained surface water. Semipermanent (Class IV) ponds and lakes were the principal habitats for breeding diving ducks, and were also important to dabbling ducks, particularly during dry years