Abstract
Consumers of wood are conservative by nature and reluctant to use unfamiliar species. Users of imported timber are probably even more cautious. Stéphane Kenfack Kana at the University of Douala, Cameroon, feels that a thorough knowledge of the properties of unfamiliar species can be a solution. In this very thorough study, he and his team determined the properties of Amouk and Dabema.
Stéphane Kenfack Kana
Very tall timber buildings are a relatively new technology that bring with them new challenges. Whilst the main structural performance is well established, the inherently light weight of the structures makes them more susceptible to undesirable movements and deformation under wind loads. At the least, this can be very uncomfortable for occupants. Whilst there are obvious solutions such as increasing mass or damping, in this study by Osama Abdelfattah Hegeir at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, the feasibility of using an outrigger system is explored by means of a numerical study.
Osama Abdelfattah Hegeir
The sandalwood tree and its oils are native to India and economically very important. This study by Rakesh Kumar and his team at the Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Malleswaram, India, investigated the oils and their content from different parts of the tree. This revealed considerable variations. The knowledge obtained can ensure higher quality of oils and hence higher economic values.
Rakesh Kumar
The circular saw can be made much more versatile by the creation of suitable jigs. Most of these jigs are made on the basis of ‘what feels right’ without regard for efficiency and durability. With this in mind, Asibong Asibong Icha and Simon Ogbeche Odey and the University of Cross River State, Nigeria, designed and developed a tenoning jig for the circular saw and modelled its performance and failure mode. This demonstrates how this method could be used in many other situations in the industry.
Asibong Asibong Icha
The density of plantation teak is important for commercial value, but its determination in the standing tree is difficult. Imran Sofianto at BRIN, Indonesia has developed the application of near-infrared spectroscopy on small increment cores.
Imran Arra’d Sofianto
To make better use of resources and to use less oil-derived products, it makes sense to utilise waste paper where possible in building products. Whilst the technology exists to manufacture such products, the purity and technical performance are unknown. Mourad Chikhi at UDES, Algeria headed a team to address these gaps in the knowledge.
Mourad Chikhi
