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Content archived on 2024-04-19

HARMONIZATION OF ON GOING EUROPEAN RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF DEVELOPMENT AND OPTIMIZATION OF METHODS FOR ASSESSING DRYING QUALITY OF TIMBER

Objective

1) Coordination of ongoing European research related to the development of practical methods for assessing drying quality of timber.

2) Coordination of the European activities regarding the development of a scheme for education and training of KILN operators and quality controllers.

During the period 1992-94 an international working group within the European Drying Group (EDG) has coordinated the development of practical methods for assessment of drying quality of timber. The methods refer to the determination of average moisture content of complete kiln loads or consignments of timber, to the variation of in-board moisture differences, to casehardening and to other drying quality characteristics, such as surface checking, internal checking, end checking, discolorations and distortions.

All methods are specially designed for application under industrial conditions. In addition to the methods for assessment of drying quality, three drying quality classes have been created by defining minimum requirements for moisture content variation and casehardening.

Drying quality class S (standard) is the universal class for all dried stock with normal drying quality requirements. Drying quality S should be specified in contracts if the later end use is not yet known or if there will be a longer period of storage between production and further processing. Drying quality Q (quality dried) was designed for stock with higher quality requirements, whereas drying quality E (exclusive) should only be specified for stock with very high quality requirement (furniture).

Assessment methods and drying quality class definitions together with testing strategies have been published in the Pilot version of the EDG Recommendation on Assessment of Drying Quality of Timber. This pilot version has been introduced to industrial praxis on the EDG Drying Seminar, held in Hamburg/D on 13/14 Oct. 1994. The Recommendation now enters into a testing phase under industrial conditions. After a period of about two years the Recommendation will be revised again.

Within the scope of the project the education plans of 18 European training centres have been investigated regarding education of kiln operators and quality controllers of kiln dried stock. It came out that in most areas there is not a lack of education facilities but rather a low acceptance of the woodworking industries to use these facilities. Therefore in many cases the knowledge of kiln operators or quality controllers is not sufficient. It did not seem feasible to draw up a European scheme for education in this field. Instead of this further efforts have to be made to inform the woodworking industry about the necessity of using the already existing facilities in the field of training.

Call for proposal

Data not available

Coordinator

BUNDESFORSCHUNGSANSTALT FÜR FORST- UND HOLZWIRTSCHAFT
EU contribution
No data
Address
LEUSCHNERSTRAßE 91
21027 HAMBURG
Germany

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Total cost
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Participants (6)