Evaluation of Material Properties of Spruce Wood Samples to Improve the Development Process for More Sustainable Sawing Processes

Abstract

The processing of wood as a renewable and sustainable material is steadily gaining in importance. However, sawing processes in sawmills are characterized by high electrical energy consumption. Improving the geometry of the saw teeth is an option to make sawing processes more energy efficient and sustainable. Since the industrial sawing processes in sawmills are rather inflexible, the development of new saw tooth geometries takes place in smaller experimental setups. However, the inhomogeneous and anisotropic properties of wood make it difficult to compare different material samples and saw teeth on the basis of measured values. This leads to untapped potentials regarding energy efficiency and sustainability in industrial sawing processes. This paper discusses material properties of spruce wood samples, depending on their place of extraction from the tree trunk. The measured variables considered are the wood moisture content, strength properties and the cutting force occurring during the sawing process. The results show that the measured values vary to different degrees within a tree trunk and between different tree trunks. Based on the results the validity of comparison measurements in the tool development process can be improved and thus increase the efficiency and sustainability of industrial sawing processes.