Characterization and quality control of thermally modified wood
Faculty mentor/Supervisor:
Vahid Nasir
Email Address:
Department Affiliation:
Wood Science & Engineering
Project Location:
Corvallis campus
Project Description:
Thermal modification is a method to address the durability challenges associated with using wood in outdoor conditions. It improves the dimensional stability of wood which is crucial in applications such as decking and cladding. Research on wood modification in North America should try to address some of the main challenges associated with using thermally modified wood. That includes the mechanical behavior of thermally modified wood, wood behavior under environmental and biological degradation, and quality control practices for efficient inspection and monitoring of thermally modified wood products. This project provides an opportunity for a student to perform different testing on a variety of thermally modified wood species, perform a comparative study, and analyze the result using data analytics tools. The project will help students practice experimental methods and data analysis while investigating the performance of modified wood.
Describe the type of work and tasks you anticipate the student will perform:
- Testing the basic physical/mechanical properties of different North American wood species which are thermally modified.
- Conducting non-destructive testing for quality control of thermally modified wood
- Data analysis for discussing the obtained results
- Documentation
Hourly rate of pay:
$14.20
What is the expected timeline of this project?:
Start: November 2023
End: Feb 2024
* note: no work between mid-end of December
November: 40 hours
December: 20 Hours
January: 40 Hours
February: 40 Hours
Total: 140 hours
Are special skills or knowledge required to work on this project?:
No
Will training be provided?:
Yes
How many hours per week do you anticipate a student to work?:
10 hours
How many hours per week do you anticipate engaging in direct mentorship?:
1.5 hours
Detail your mentorship plan:
- Providing the relevant literature to the student to understand the fundamentals of wood modification and properties of thermally modified wood products.
- Facilitating the experimentation and helping the student to get access to the testing equipment
- Help the student to analyze the data and give some basic training on data analysis.
- Helping the student in assessing the validity of the experimental data and the data analysis