VOLUME 48, ISSUE 6/2007

Consuming large amounts of raw materials and energy, the wood based industry depends on “High Tech” manufacturing processes with expensive production machinery for manufacturing low added value products. For being profitable on a long term perspective, overall cost minimization is vital. Aiming at comprehensive improvement, successful optimization strategies cover economic-logistic, industrialtechnological and strategic aspects. The present contribution (part one) highlights optimization tools in logistics management based on recent results from successful collaborative projects between the Wood Carinthian Competence Centre (W3C) and several industrial partner companies. Process analysis and knowledge management will be presented later in part two.

Due to an increasing shortage of renewable raw materials also wood from branches will come into focus for utilization. But little is known about the different properties of branch wood, especially from hardwoods. Fibre length, wood density, impact bending strength, compressive strength and also occurrence and rates of tension wood in branch wood of Sessile Oak (Quercus petraea Liebl.) were investigated. Wood density in branch wood was on an average of 15 % above trunk wood density. Also the branches had a higher compressive strength than the trunk. In contrast, the impact bending strength was on an average 6 % higher in trunk wood than in branch wood. The impact bending strength did not change systematically in the branch with increasing distance to trunk. Systematic differences between top side and bottom side of the branches were either not detectable or very low for fibre length, wood density and compressive strength. The results of the present study show that the utilization properties of the investigated dimensions of oak branch wood do not rank behind those of the trunk wood.

As part of the outside wall, windows and curtain wallings are constructed as frame structures with transparent or opaque infills. The suitability of a certain type of wood for use in windows and curtain wallings is mainly determined by its response to water and moisture. The modification of wood is a means of improving that response. Achievable improvements depend on the modification itself. The tests performed during the research project are discussed in part 1. Those tests show great variability in the improvements achieved by the modification of wood. An influence by the quality of the raw material can be assumed. Part 2 focuses on the effect on components and details for construction.

In archaeological and build-historical investigations frequently samples arise, which do not include the necessary number of 50 tree-rings, for a secured dendrochronological tree-ring width dating. The univariate dating method on the basis of the measurement of tree-ring widths, used so far, was extended with the help of the x-ray-densitometry to the multivariate dating method. By including e. g. the accumulated wood masses in the early-wood and late-wood zones, the number of degrees of freedom as well as the number of date-relevant intraannual tree-ring features could be increased. More detailed investigations of softwoods are possible with the multivariate approach and thus the dendrochronological dating of softwoods (spruce; Picea abies [L.] Karst.) with less than 50 tree-rings.

In the part at hand, results of the influence of panel raw density und rot, respectively, on selected physical-mechanical properties of laboratory-scale produced cement bonded particleboards will be presented. There are strong correlations between the aforementioned properties and raw density. A significant influence of rot, however, could not be substantiated.

If a panel board is measured non-contact by ultrasound, most of the sonic energy is reflected at the panel surfaces. Only a fraction of the sonic energy penetrates the panel and is used for the measurement. A strong resonance method results in significant increased sonic penetration. Today's online blow detection systems evaluate the absorption of the sonic energy which is affected physical influences only. Because the glue bond is only a minor factor influencing the penetration of the ultrasonic signal it is impossible to measure, or to separately display it.

So far, the cleaning of tools in wood-machining industry has been an expensive process, in which the tool has to be removed from the machine and has to be cleaned separately. A deterioration in machining-quality is caused by adhesions consisting of resin and dust resulting from the machining. Thus, the cleaning and therefore the removal of the tool is indispensable although the cutting edge is still sharp and normally it would not have been necessary to remove it for sharpening. This process causes, besides machine downtimes due to the tool removal, additional tool costs. Once the tool has been removed, it is not only cleaned but also sharpened at the same time in order to avoid further machine downtimes. To find a solution which makes it possible to clean tools while being integrated in the machine, CO2 snow-jets for the cleaning of tools have been the subject of research. The main aim was the development of a process-integrated cleaning procedure via CO2 snow-blasting which additionally cools the tool.

In the paper a wide range of different fibres (Ramie, Glass, Lyocell) was investigated regarding their compount properties, especially the interfacial shear strength (IFSS), within a thermosetting and thermoplastic matrix. Starting with a new construction of the necessary test device the results of the tests are discussed.

This article is concerned with solutions, which permit a dismantling (separation) of the individual components of upholstered furniture at small expenditure. The results of selected new connecting and/or separation processes are described.