OWIC - Current activities

Dr. Rakesh Gupta and colleagues are conducting research to understand the forces wood structures must withstand to survive hurricane storm surges and tsunamis. They recently tested a 1/6-scale house at the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Laboratory in Corvallis. See the news story and accompanying video from KEZI news, Eugene.
Dr. John Simonsen and colleagues in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science filed a provisional patent on Cellulose Nanocrystal Electro-optic Devices. This new application for cellulose has the potential to replace the polymeric liquid crystals in conventional LCD devices with cellulose nanoparticles. Applications include cell phones, wristwatches, televisions, electronic paper and flat screen computer monitors. More information.

Oregon Biomass and Biofuels: Scott Leavengood served as lead author for a report on biomass utilization in Oregon. The report was written for the Oregon Innovation Council as part of an effort to assess the feasibility of a Bio-Economy and Sustainable Technologies (BEST) research center. The report provides an overview of the current forest industry in Oregon, estimates of regional biomass supply, a review of recent literature on biomass utilization, and interviews with key stakeholders. Click here to download the report

Dr. Kaichang Li develops a new group of adhesives that may revolutionize a large portion of the wood products industry - and have important environmental and economic benefits.
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Innovation in the North American Sawmilling industry - Dr. Eric Hansen's research team recently explored this topic and learned that mills are most innovative with respect to process innovation; innovativeness increased with mill size; a formal new product development process was most important when developing products that were new to the industry; and more.

Research on Wood Hardening - Dr. Fred Kamke's research team developed a technique to harden wood known as VTC - viscoelastic thermal compression. It works by mechanically compressing wood to increase its density from 100 to 300%. The key to VTC is to compress the wood when it is subjected to a high pressure steam environment. The technology shows great promise for processing wood from short rotation forest plantations to create high strength composites for structural applications. More information.

Wood and Chemical Warfare? - Dr. John Simonsen received a $50,000 subcontract to an Air Force research grant awarded to the Ventana Corporation, Tucson, AZ for the development of cellulose nanocrystal enhanced chemical warfare agent barrier films. The intended use is as a coating for tents and perhaps clothing. The coating will allow moisture to pass through the fabric, but will block the passage of chemical warfare agents. More information.

Dr. Jeff Morrell is playing a part in the on-going reconstruction of Fort Clatsop, the replica of the Lewis and Clark Expedition Headquarters near Astoria. He instead focused on how the Fort could be rebuilt to last at least as long as the previous reconstruction did before it burned in early December. It turned out that the 1955 group that constructed the first replica (including at least one OSU Forestry grad) had done a very good job of removing the bark (to keep away beetles) and had treated the logs after framing with a preservative. Unfortunately, the preservative used in 1955 is no longer available, so the National Park Service had to substitute. His treatment plans formed the basis of the Park plans. Hopefully, the Fort will be completed in time for the anniversary of the Departure of the Corp of Discovery in March. More information.

Students in Dr. Mike Milota�s class took on a project to dry hybrid poplar. Potlatch has a significant amount of this in their plantations near Boardman, OR and plans to construct a sawmill to produce lumber. Starting with a published schedule for drying cottonwood, the class investigated how to dry the hybrid poplar faster without damaging the wood. 3600 board feet and many student reports later the class determined that the poplar could be dried in about half of the time that Potlatch had planned. The student results will be used in designing the new facility. Considerable savings in capital expenditures will result due to the shortened drying time. More information.

Connie Love helped with the installation of a new spar pole at Camp 18, a logging museum along the Sunset Highway west of Portland. The new 160 foot Douglas-fir spar pole has a butt diameter of 57 inches and a top of 19 inches. The old spar pole had begun to decay and was riddled with buprestid beetle and woodpecker holes. Connie treated the full-length of the new pole with a granular fumigant and boron rods. She applied a copper/boron paste to the pole butt. Photos
New wood plastic composites: Dr. Kaichang Li has developed new wood-plastic composites that are stronger and less expensive than any similar products now available � a major breakthrough for this growing industry. More information.

Calling All Innovators! Does your company produce innovative wood products? Have you developed and/ or implemented innovative approaches in your manufacturing processes or managerial systems? If so, we want to hear from you. We have created a new site to highlight innovative Oregon wood products companies. Spotlight on Wood Products Innovation in Oregon

Hardwood Industry Education Event: The Oregon Wood Innovation Center, in conjunction with the Tennessee Forest Products Center at the University of Tennessee, is planning an educational tour of the eastern hardwood manufacturing industry. We have prepared an on-line survey to help us determine the level of interest of potential participants and to get feedback on details. Click here to take the survey