Identification of Orthotropic Elastic Properties of Wood by a Synthetic Image Approach Based on Digital Image Correlation

This work aims to determine the orthotropic linear elastic constitutive parameters of Pinus pinaster Ait. wood from a single uniaxial compressive experimental test, under quasi-static loading conditions, based on two different specimen configurations: (a) on-axis rectangular specimens oriented on the radial-tangential plane, (b) off-axis specimens with a grain angle of about 60(radial-tangential plane). Using digital image correlation (DIC), full-field displacement and strain maps are obtained and used to identify the four orthotropic elastic parameters using the finite element model updating (FEMU) technique. Based on the FE data, a synthetic image reconstruction approach is proposed by coupling the inverse identification method with synthetically deformed images, which are then processed by DIC and compared with the experimental results. The proposed methodology is first validated by employing a DIC-levelled FEA reference in the identification procedure. The impact of the DIC setting parameters on the identification results is systematically investigated. This influence appears to be stronger when the parameter is less sensitive to the experimental setup used. When using on-axis specimen configuration, three orthotropic parameters of Pinus pinaster (ER, ET and νRT) are correctly identified, while the shear modulus (GRT) is robustly identified when using off-axis specimen configuration.

Full-Field Strain Determination for Additively Manufactured Parts Using Radial Basis Functions

Additively manufactured components, especially those produced in deposition welding processes, have a rough curvilinear surface. Strain and surface deformation analysis of such components is increasingly performed using digital image correlation (DIC) methods, which raises questions regarding interpretability of the results. Furthermore, in triangulation or local tangential plane based DIC strain analysis, the principal strain directions are difficult to be calculated at any point, which is due to the non-continuity of the approach. Thus, both questions will be addressed in this article. Apart from classical local strain analysis based on triangulation or local linearization concepts, the application of globally formulated radial basis functions (RBF) is investigated for the first time, with the advantage that it is possible to evaluate all interesting quantities at arbitrary points. This is performed for both interpolation and regression. Both approaches are studied at three-dimensional, curvilinear verification examples and real additively manufactured cylindrical specimens. It is found out that, if real applications are investigated, the RBF-approach based on interpolation and regression has to be considered carefully due to so-called boundary effects. This can be circumvented by only considering the region that has a certain distance to the edges of the evaluation domain. Independent of the evaluation scheme, the error of the maximum principal strains increases with increasing surface roughness, which has to be kept in mind for such applications when interpreting or evaluating the results of manufactured parts. However, the entire scheme offers interesting properties for the treatment of DIC-data.

The Spitzer/IRAC Legacy over the GOODS Fields: Full-depth 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 μm Mosaics and Photometry for >9000 Galaxies at z ∼ 3.5–10 from the GOODS Reionization Era Wide-area Treasury from Spitzer (GREATS)

We present the deepest Spitzer/InfraRed Array Camera (IRAC) 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 μm wide-area mosaics yet over the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS)-N and GOODS-S fields as part of the GOODS Reionization Era wide-Area Treasury from Spitzer (GREATS) project. We reduced and mosaicked in a self-consistent way observations taken by the 11 different Spitzer/IRAC programs over the two GOODS fields from 12 yr of Spitzer cryogenic and warm-mission data. The cumulative depth in the 3.6 μm and 4.5 μm bands amounts to ∼4260 hr, ∼1220 hr of which are new very deep observations from the GREATS program itself. In the deepest area, the full-depth mosaics reach ≳200 hr over an area of ∼100 arcmin2, corresponding to a sensitivity of ∼29 AB magnitude at 3.6 μm (1σ for point sources). Archival cryogenic 5.8 μm and 8.0 μm band data (a cumulative 976 hr) are also included in the release. The mosaics are projected onto the tangential plane of the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey/GOODS at a 0.″3 pixel−1 scale. This paper describes the methodology enabling, and the characteristics of, the public release of the mosaic science images, the corresponding coverage maps in the four IRAC bands, and the empirical point-spread functions (PSFs). These PSFs enable mitigation of the source blending effects by taking into account the complex position-dependent variation in the IRAC images. The GREATS data products are in the Infrared Science Archive. We also release the deblended 3.6–8.0 μm photometry 9192 Lyman-break galaxies at z ∼ 3.5–10. GREATS will be the deepest mid-infrared imaging until the James Webb Space Telescope and, as such, constitutes a major resource for characterizing early galaxy assembly.

Economically Feasible Wood Biopreservation Platform in Lannea coromandelica (Houtt.) Merr. Against Wood Rotting Fungus Through Bio-Prospecting Weed Extracts

As an alternative to synthetic preservatives, the use of plant-based, environmentally sustainable preservatives for wood protection has tremendous potential. The current research analyzed the dimensional stability and longevity of Lannea coromandelica wood using weed extracts viz. Lantana camara L. and Ageratum conyzoides L., respectively. Petroleum ether (PE) and methanolic weed extracts were used to treat wood blocks (5 cm × 2.5 cm × 2.5 cm) at varying concentrations ranging from 0.25 to 2.00%. The PE extract of A. conyzoides resulted in maximum swelling (tangential plane, 6.30%) at 2.00%, volumetric swelling coefficient (13.17%) at 1.50%, and volumetric shrinkage coefficient (7.71%) at 1.00% concentration, while maximum shrinkage (tangential plane, 4.10%) in methanol (M) extract was observed. In L. camara methanolic extract (1.00%), maximum anti-shrink efficiency (37.01%) was recorded. In vitro mycelial growth of the wood-rotting fungus was completely inhibited by PE extract from both weeds. However, the methanolic extract of A. conyzoides resulted in maximal inhibition (75.93%) at a concentration of 2.00%. Also, PE extract (2.00%) of A. conyzoides reduced the fungal colonization to 50%, as compared with control. The lowest weight loss (decay test, 12 weeks) was observed at a 2.00% concentration of L. camara PE extract. The present research highlighted that both A. conyzoides and L. camara could be used as an environmentally sustainable wood preservative substitute that will encourage the utilization of L. coromandelica in wood-based industries.

A Linear Microwave Plasma Source Using a Circular Waveguide Filled with a Relatively High-Permittivity Dielectric: Comparison with a Conventional Quasi-Coaxial Line Waveguide

For a conventional linear microwave plasma source (LMPS) with a quasi-coaxial line transverse electromagnetic (TEM) waveguide, a linearly extended plasma is sustained by the surface wave outside the tube. Due to the characteristics of the quasi-coaxial line MPS, it is easy to generate a uniform plasma with radially omnidirectional surfaces, but it is difficult to maximize the electron density in a curved selected region. For the purpose of concentrating the plasma density in the deposition area, a novel LMPS which is suitable for curved structure deposition has been developed and compared with the conventional LMPS. As the shape of a circular waveguide, it is filled with relatively high-permittivity dielectric instead of a quasi-coaxial line waveguide. Microwave power at 2.45 GHz is transferred to the plasma through the continuous cylindrical-slotted line antenna, and the radiated electric field in the radial direction is made almost parallel to the tangential plane of the window surface. This research includes the advanced 3D numerical analysis and compares the results with the experiment. It shows that the electron density in the deposition area is higher than that of the conventional quasi-coaxial line plasma MPS.

Influence of morphology on the effective hygro-elastic properties of softwood (spruce) and hardwood (balsa)

Wood materials are characterized by complex, hierarchical material structures spanning across various length scales. The present work aims at establishing a relation between the hygro-elastic properties at the mesoscopic cellular level and the effective material response at the macroscopic level, both for softwood (spruce) and hardwood (balsa). The particular aim is to explore the influence on the effective hygro-elastic properties under variations in the meso-scale morphology. The multi-scale framework applied for this purpose uses the method of asymptotic homogenization, which allows to accurately and efficiently obtain the effective response of heterogeneous materials characterized by complex meso-structural geometries. The meso-structural model considered for softwood is based on a periodic, two-dimensional statistically representative volume element that is generated by a spatial repetition of tracheid cells. The tracheid cells are modeled as hexagonal elements characterized by a certain geometrical irregularity. The hardwood meso-structure consists of a region composed of hexagonal cellular fibers with large vessels embedded, which is connected to a ray region that is constructed of ray cells. The hardwood fibers are modeled as hexagonal cellular elements, similar to softwood tracheids. The rays are represented by quadrilateral cells oriented along the radial direction, whereby different arrangements are considered, i.e., the ray cells are either regularly stacked or organized as a staggered configuration. The interface between the fiber and ray regions may also be characterized by a regular or a staggered arrangement. The meso-structural models for softwood and hardwood are discretized by means of plane-strain, finite element models, which describe the hygro-elastic response of the wood material in the radial–tangential plane. For softwood, the sensitivity of the effective elastic and hygro-expansive properties is explored as a function of the geometrical irregularity of the tracheids. For hardwood, the effective properties are studied under a variation of the ray cell arrangement, the type of interface between ray and fiber regions, and the vessel volume fraction. The modeling results agree well with results obtained from other numerical homogenization studies and show to be in reasonable agreement with experimental data taken from the literature.

Use of a pin-penetration wood density meter to determine the density of 25 Indonesian species

The pin-penetration device is a minimally destructive instrument that is widely used to estimate the physical properties of wood, e.g., density, with advantages such as reduced testing times, low costs, and fewer defects induced in the wood being tested. In this study, such a device was used on 25 Indonesian hardwood species with a strength class (SC) distribution from SC II to IV (according to the Indonesian classification of wood SCs). Tests were conducted on three different orthogonal planes, i.e., cross-sectional, radial, and tangential planes. The wood density ranged from 0.28 to 0.88 g/cm3, and the specific gravity was 0.25 to 0.76. The cross-sectional plane penetration depth of the wood was significantly greater than that of either the radial or tangential plane, whereas the pin penetration values of the radial and tangential planes were not significantly different. A prediction model for predicting the density and specific gravity of wood via pin penetration showed a significant regression. Thus, the use of a pin-penetration device was found to be suitable for estimating wood density and specific gravity in a range of SCs of tropical wood species regardless of species.

Mykhailo Dendiuk, Lyubomir Flud, Nazar Semenyshyn Software implementation of the construction of curves short-term strength of wood with biaxial stress state

This paper is devoted to implementing the algorithm for constructing short-term strength curves of wood with biaxial stress states in the radial-tangential plane of structural symmetry. To implement this algorithm was developed software based on the Qt cross-platform toolkit, which allows to build and analyze short-term strength curves in the cross section of wood. The created program has a possibility to choose one of three failure criteria, a kind of wood, temperature and humidity distribution of lumber. The C++ program code is designed so that you can easily add another type of wood as well as a failure criterion. To display the curves, you can select table or graph mode. Graphs can be fixed on a graphics widget, and new ones can be added to compare to previous ones. Based on the analysis of the constructed curves, the ultimate stress state of the material in partial cases is established. In conclusion about expedient using some criteria to describe the strength characteristics of wood with strong and weak asymmetry of strength limits.

Evaluating Timoshenko Method for Analyzing CLT under Out-of-Plane Loading

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is an engineered wood product made up of layers of structurally graded timber, where subsequent layers are oriented orthogonally to each other. In CLT, the layers oriented in transverse direction, generally termed as cross-layer, are subjected to shear in radial–tangential plane, which is commonly known as rolling shear. As the shear modulus of cross-layers is significantly lower than that in other planes, CLT exhibits higher shear deformation under out-of-plane loading in contrast to other engineered wood products such as laminated veneer lumber (LVL) and glue laminated timber (GLT). Several analytical methods such as Timoshenko, modified gamma and shear analogy methods were proposed to account for this excessive shear deformation in CLT. This paper focuses on the effectiveness of Timoshenko method in hybrid CLT, in which hardwood cross-layers are used due to their higher rolling shear modulus. A comprehensive numerical study was conducted and obtained results were carefully analyzed for a range of hybrid combinations. It was observed that Timoshenko method could not accurately predict the shear response of CLTs with hardwood cross layers. Comprehensive parametric analysis was conducted to generate reliable numerical results, which were subsequently used to propose modified design equations for hybrid CLTs.

Comparative wood anatomy of Korean Viburnum L. (Adoxaceae) and its taxonomic implication

Comparative wood anatomy of Viburnum was carried out to understand the differences in wood features amongst the species which might be useful for taxonomic discrimination in the genus. Altogether, nine taxa belonging to five clades were investigated using a sliding microtome and light microscopy. The growth rings are well represented and earlywood and latewood are distinguishable in cross-section. Some of the important wood features include angular, oval and rounded vessels with scalariform perforation plates, opposite to scalariform inter-vessel pitting, rounded pits with slit-like apertures, thick-walled xylem tracheids with simple, rounded bordered pits, diffuse axial parenchyma, uni- and multiseriate rays, 2–4 cells wide. In general, there is a remarkable uniformity in the qualitative wood features in Viburnum species, although quantitative measurement showed some disparities. The most significant quantitative wood variables which might be useful for taxonomic groupings of the species comprise a frequency of vessels and rays, the diameter of the vessels and tracheids in the radial and tangential planes and height and width of rays in the tangential plane.