Macmillan Bloedel Limited

Other

Cae Machinery Ltd.

Macmillan Bloedel Research

Kenneth K Lau

Robert M Knudson

Marek Jan Gnatowski

Michael J Dunne

Douglas Elliot Rogerson

Jack T Yelf

David F Gillard

Bradley J Crittenden

Apparatus and method for non-destructively testing the stiffness of wood panels. The apparatus comprises a support framework having infeed, center and outfeed support assemblies mounted to the framework in spaced, successive positions. Each support assembly is adapted to contact the opposed panel surfaces of each panel to define a travel path along which the panel is advanced through the assembly. A first deflection member is provided intermediate the infeed and center support assemblies and is movable to contact one of the panel surfaces as each panel extends between the infeed and the center support assemblies. The first deflection member acts to bend the panel to a first pre-determined curvature. In a similar manner, there is a second deflection member intermediate the center and outfeed support assemblies movable to bend the panel to a second pre-determined curvature. Load cells associated with the first and second deflection members measure the force require to bend the panels to the pre-determined curvatures for calculation of the stiffness of the panels. The infeed, center and outfeed support assemblies are movable relative to each other to position the support assemblies such that the travel paths through the support assemblies define a generally 'C' shaped path through the apparatus that accommodates the curvatures that each panel adopts in travelling through the apparatus. The apparatus provides a compact panel testing unit by virtue of the 'C' shaped travel path though the apparatus that is able to operate at the high speeds of a production line.

Panel testing apparatus and method

A fiber-cement trim board is formed by a fiber-cement core layer faced with a pair of fiber-cement surface layers of substantially equal thickness in the core layer and have a cement-to-wood ratio by weight of between 2 and 3.5 and at least 70% of the wood strands have a length longer than 10 min. Each of the surface layers is formed of a fiber-cement mixture containing wood strands, at least 80% of which have a length of less than 4 mm and a cement-to-wood ratio by weight of between 2 and 3.5. The board is covered at least on the two main faces by a water barrier coating.

Trim board

A tester for testing the strength (wall stiffness) of a tubular sleeve applies axial pressure to the sleeve via a pair of sealing platens closing the open ends of the sleeve and holding the sleeve in the desired configuration. With the sleeve so held air pressure is applied to the inside of the sleeve and the deflection of at least one of the walls is measured and correlated with the applied air pressure applied thereby to obtain an indication of the strength and stiffness characteristics of the container. Generally with a rectangular cross section sleeve deflection of all four sides of the sleeve are measured.

Non-destructive tester

A ribbed particleboard (waferboard) product having substantially uniform density throughout is provided by forming a mat of wood particles and superimposing on the mat, ribs of such wood particles and then pressing the mat and ribs simultaneously to consolidate the product and provide the ribbed panel having one side substantially planar and the other side ribbed.

Ribbed waferboard product

A multiwalled container made of corrugated paper board and formed from an open ended sleeve of such multiwalled container board is provided with an end closure that is discreet from the sleeve but is connected thereto via flaps connected to the outer surface of the walls of the sleeve. The closure includes at least one panel connected to the sleeve by the flaps and providing a bridging member extending across the open end of the sleeve and functioning to resist outward deflection of the side walls of the sleeve via tension in the bridging member when said container is erected and foldable into the interior of said sleeve when said container is in knock down condition.

End closure for a multi-walled container

An apparatus and process for testing a panel for strength and stiffness has the ability to handle panels of different thicknesses, and also has a temperature sensor so that panels can be tested hot and the cold end use strength and stiffness correlated. The apparatus moves the panel in an 'S' shaped path through a series of rollers, and measures the load to deflect the panel a predetermined distance for different thicknesses of panels. An algorithm is used to correlate the cold end use strength and stiffness values from the temperature and loading figures.

Growing community of inventors

Vancouver, Canada

Kenneth K Lau