Davis Standard: Wood-fiber product development underway at University of Maine
Davis-Standard’s Woodtruder is the cornerstone of several key research and development projects currently underway at the University of Maine’s Advanced Engineered Wood Composites (AEWC) Center. Since installing the Woodtruder in 2001, the University has been working with public and private organizations to develop and qualify new products. The University is presently working with the United States Coast Guard, the USDA, and multiple proviate organizations to develop new wood-fiber products and conduct process evaluations.
The program for the Coast Guard involves the development of a new decking material and retaining wall system as a replacement for pressure treated wood. The AEWC Center recently developed a 5/4 inch by 6-inch decking product installed at one Coast Guard pier and is now working on the retaining wall. A project being funded by a USDA wood utilization research grant is evaluating post die process conditions to determine how cooling rates impact product development. A second USDA funded project deals with the formulation of nylon wood composites. This project is in its infancy with the intention of product development for automotive-type applications.
‘The expertise of our researchers, our modern facility, and the capabilities of the Woodtruder make it possible for us to investigate and determine the best fiber-polymer combinations ofor any given applications,’ said Doug Gardner, professor of wood science at the University of Maine. ‘Our Center is fully equipped for prototype development. Each new material produced by the Woodtruder undergoes strenuous evaluation, like being repeatedly stressed to evaluate durability and being exposed to the equivalent of years of ultraviolet radiation, moisture and freeze-thaw cycles.’