Mechanical densification of wood involves compressing the wood in radial direction using heat, water and steam to produce a higher density surface exhibiting better mechanical properties. The densified wood is an environmentally friendly product that presents new opportunities for the wood products industry. Wood surface densification involves both soaking and heating. The objective of this stu...

During drying, stresses and deformations develop in a wood board due to shrinkage fi elds which result from moisture content and temperature fi eld variations. In spite of numerous works done in wood drying modelling in the last decades, wood drying optimisation based on modelling and simulation remains far from initial expectations. Two main reasons can explain this assessment: the huge variab...

The validity and accuracy of information and its fast distribution is significant in effective wood fuel procurement. The authors’ objectives were i) to define the solid wood fuel procurement process of regional power plants, ii) to define a conceptual data model for the wood fuel order-supply process and iii) to create an application for managing the process. They did an interview study for re...

To reduce future loss of biodiversity and to allocate conservation funds effectively, the major drivers behind large-scale extinction processes must be identified. A promising approach is to link the red-list status of species and specific traits that connect species of functionally important taxa or guilds to resources they rely on. Such traits can be used to detect the influence of anthropoge...

Development of an accurate mathematical model of sufficient generality to evaluate drying processes in materials having diverse moisture transport properties is proposed. The process of wood drying is interpreted as simultaneous heat and moisture transfer with local thermodynamic equilibrium at each point within the timber. The model is a mathematical one treating wood as a continuous and homog...

Wood is a naturally renewable material with both continuous and isolated pore systems. Wood-composite panels have the privilege of offering a homogeneous structure to be used as constructional and structural materials. However, its nature makes it susceptible to biological wood-deteriorating agents, water absorption and thickness swelling, fire, etc. Using nano-materials are very easy in the wo...

Tiger Woods has an amazing record of winning golf tournaments. He has gained the persona of a player that is a winner, a player that when near the lead or in the lead can do whatever it takes to win. In this paper I investigate whether in fact, he is a winner. A mathematical model is created for the ability of Tiger Woods, and all PGA Tour golfers to play 18 holes of tournament golf. The career...

The design and analysis of many products is performed with imprecisely known parameters, relationships, and environmental conditions. This is especially true for wood products which exhibit greater variability than most materials. Fuzzy set theory applied to the design and analysis of wood products is regarded as a promising approach for modeling the geometric and mechanical property variabilit...