Wood Furniture Research Articles

Climate change impact on the degradation of historically significant wooden furniture in a cultural heritage building in Vestfold, Norway

Climate change is expected to significantly affect the interior climate of old, leaky buildings without HVAC systems. As a result, the items of cultural significance that are hosted indoors will experience new ambient conditions, which will affect their degradation. In the current research, the impact of climate change on the biological, mechanical, and chemical degradation of a cabinet and a storage trunk which are made of wood and have paintings on their outer surface is investigated. These two items are found in two different rooms of a historic timber building in Vestfold, Norway. Data from the REMO2015 driven by the global model MPI-ESM-LR are used in order to account for past, present, and future climate conditions. In addition, climate data from ERA5 reanalysis are used in order to assess the accuracy of the MPI-ES-LR_REMO2015 model results. Whole building hygrothermal simulations are employed to calculate the temperature and the relative humidity inside the rooms that host the items of interest. The transient hygrothermal condition and certain characteristics of the timber surfaces are used as inputs in models that describe their degradation. The biological degradation is examined by using i) the updated VTT mould model and ii) the Growing Degree Days (GDD) for temperature and humidity dependant insects. The mechanical deterioration is assessed by the method proposed by Mecklenburg et al. (1998). The concept of the Lifetime Multiplier (LM) is used in order to assess the chemical deterioration of the furniture. Results reveal a significant mechanical degradation risk and a very high chemical deterioration risk. The biodeterioration risk remains at acceptable levels. Moreover, it could be possible that the storage trunk would be damaged by certain insects in the future. It is then suggested that both items should be moved to a room with proper conditions in order to minimize their chemical and mechanical deterioration risk and extend their life span. Finally, the significance of implementing bias correction in the data from climate models is underlined.

A multi-model approach for wooden furniture failure under mechanical load

Furniture failure generally appears at junctions between wooden parts. Failure prediction is a challenging problem considering the various technologies used for the assembly, the geometric dimensions of the wooden assembled parts and of the assembly components as well as the material properties of the wooden parts. Being able to provide a procedure for failure analysis is of great interest to the furniture industry. This paper proposes a multi-model approach in 3 steps: (i) a simplified global modeling of the whole structure (high loft bed) taking into account the specific geometry of each wooden part (beams or plates), (ii) a three-dimensional local numerical analysis of a through-bolt junction subjected to the mean critical load identified during a series of experimental compression tests to determine the local stresses in such a corner-type junction, and (iii) the application of an ad hoc failure criterion adapted to the anisotropic behavior of wood for failure prediction in through-bolt junctions.

Green Catalytic Pyrolysis: An Eco‐Friendly Route for the Production of Fuels and Chemicals by Blending Oil Industry Wastes and Waste Furniture Wood

Lignocellulosic biomass is converted into liquid products through pyrolysis, which can be used as an alternative fuel for heating applications and industrial chemicals. Pyrolysis liquid is a mixture of many oxygenated fractions which deteriorates its burning properties. Through specific bond cleavage reactions like deoxygenation, cracking, and decarbonylation, catalysts in the pyrolysis process can be used to improve the quality of pyrolysis liquid. In this study, biochar produced by carbonization of printed circuit boards was used for catalytic reforming processes to produce energy‐rich liquids and chemicals from a mixture of karanja seed oil cake and waste furniture wood. The catalytic process was performed by changing the reactor temperature from 300°C to 700°C at 50°C intervals. The results showed a maximum liquid oil recovery of 53.9 wt% at 500°C. Compared to the noncatalytic reaction, pyrolysis of biomass with biochar recovered 11.59% more liquid. This study demonstrated a viable technique to recover more liquid products and industrial chemicals by employing sustainable catalysts from e‐waste. The physical analysis of the liquid showed that the liquid can be used as a fuel for boilers and furnaces. The chemical characterization through gas chromatography‐mass spectroscopy (GC‐MS) showed the presence of various chemical elements used for medicinal and industrial applications.

AN EXPLORATION INTO THE WOODEN FURNITURE INDUSTRY THROUGH THE THEORETICAL LENS OF PORTER’S CLUSTER- A CASE STUDY OF KHAIRPUR MIRS

Furniture industry of Pakistan is considered as one of the high potential yet neglected clusters. This industry is famous for its elaborate wooden carvings on the blocks of Sheeshum and Rosemary. The leading furniture making areas of Pakistan are Chiniot, Gujrat, Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi. However, Pakistan’s share in the international wooden furniture market is insignificant, despite the fact that the country has a history of craftsmanship and innovation in the field of wooden furniture. Especially Sindh region which specializes in wood furniture making have not been explored for its potential in increasing the furniture export. Further, there is a dearth of literature pertaining to their geographical clustering as well as the causes of the underdevelopment of interior Sindh’s wooden furniture industry. In response to this gap, this case study research a) conducts geographical mapping of Khairpur Mirs wooden furniture industry through GIS, and b) constructs a SWOT Matrix in light of Porter’s Cluster Theory on the basis of thematic analysis. The findings highlight that the location of the business units is at Station Road from Khaki Shah pull to Nimm More (approximately 1 km area) with around 150 to 200 furniture houses/ manufacturers. This research identifies the causes of underdevelopment of wooden furniture cluster in Khairpur on the basis of which participant driven solutions are proposed. Finally, this research presents policy recommendations to improve this small scale industry’s potential for socio economic growth.

Mobilya Üretim Sürecinde Karşılaşılan Başlıca Mesleki Tehlikelerin Çalışan Sağlığı Üzerinde Değerlendirilmesi

Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) practices in Turkey focus on sectors with high accident frequency and certain occupational diseases. According to the 2012 year data of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, which divides the workplaces into 88 activity groups, it has determined the furniture sector as 18th in terms of the number of workplaces, 26th in terms of the number of employees, 19th in terms of occupational accidents and 25th in terms of occupational diseases, shows the necessity of investigating the working conditions of the furniture industry in Turkey in detail. In this study; in order to define the occupational hazards on employee health arising from the furniture production processes, of a chosen facility producing wooden furniture in Tekirdag were examined for 4 months. The data obtained as a result of defining and measuring the main workplace hazards and periodic health surveillance data, including the health reports of the employees, were evaluated together with the help of the Occupational Physician of the facility and the impact of the main workplace impacts of the investigated production process on employee health was defined. As a result of the study; it has been understood that the change in workplace air quality may have significant effects on employee health. It has been clearly seen that among these effects, especially the noise factor, is a main factor that occurs frequently on the furniture industry workers and causes different levels of influence. In addition, although workplace dust factor, which can occur at different intensities in different steps of the production processes due to the raw material, remains at a low level with preventive measures such as the use of dust collection systems in the facility, the dermatitis-type effects caused by these dusts on the skin can be visibly noticed, however, it was understood that adequate controls and necessary health screenings for diagnosis could not be made within the facility. On the other hand, no serious health problems have been identified due to exposure to chemicals used in the facility. In the future, detailed scientific studies on the reduction and elimination of noise and dust factors , which are determined to be the most important workplace environment effects in this enterprise , and the definition of good practices will also guide the facilities that produce similar products.

Building Innovation Capabilities on Collaboration and Market Orientation for Improving Marketing Performance of Wood Furniture Craft

This research aims to test the direct influence of market orientation and innovation capabilities collaboration, with relationship marketing orientation and excellence as mediating variables, on the marketing performance of the micro industry of wood furniture handicrafts. The data was collected using questionnaires submitted by 242 people, and the analysis was carried out using SmartPLS software. The significant impact of collaborative innovation ability and relational marketing orientation on market orientation was shown to have no effect on competitive advantage. The innovation capabilities of collaborating are known to have no significant impact on marketing performance. Competitive advantage has a relationship with marketing performance, and relational marketing orientation has a significant impact on the ability of collaborative innovation. It was also found that relationship marketing orientation has a significant effect on marketing performance. This study is related to improving the marketing performance of the micro industry of wood furniture handicrafts, which has a limited scope, so the results of this study can't be generalized. It was also difficult to determine if there was any bias from the respondents. The marketing orientation of relationships and competitive advantages have contributed significantly to marketing performance. The wood furniture handicraft micro industry must improve collaboration capabilities with dealers and customers and use this as a strategic component to improve the marketing performance of the woodcraft industry. The novelty of this research is related to the capability of collaboration innovation, which is able to improve the marketing performance of small industries.

Implementation of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost Life (LCC) on Particle Board Wood Furniture Industry in Yogyakarta

CV. Limase Laras is a wood furniture industry in Yogyakarta that has increased production. The company uses electrical energy which contributes to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and produces solid waste of sawdust in the production process. On the other hand, with the large assets and high sales of the company, it is important to conduct financial analysis thus the company does not make wrong decisions. Based on these problems, the methods used in this study are Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate environmental impacts and Life Cycle Cost (LCC) to analyze life cycle costs. From the LCA analysis, sawdust waste is the highest impact by producing four environmental impacts, namely, global warming (936 x 10-2 kg CO2-eq), aquatic eutrophication (2.12 x 10-3 kg NO3-eq), photochemical ozone formation that affects humans (9.04 x 10-3 person*ppm*hours), and photochemical ozone formation that affects plants (113 m2 UES). From the LCC analysis, the NPV value is Rp8,278,512,276.00, which means that the bookshelf production process provides benefits for the company. The B/C net value is 37.9, which means that the bookshelf is beneficial. However, the bookshelf production process will be not feasible to continue if the company experiences a 40% decrease in annual revenue.

Effects of Three Different Types of Aloin on Optical, Mechanical, and Antibacterial Properties of Waterborne Coating on Tilia europaea Surface

The microcapsules were prepared by using melamine-formaldehyde resin as the wall material and aloin as the core material. The aloin was dissolved in ethanol and water to prepare microcapsules. The aloin powder, the aloin microcapsules prepared with ethanol as the solvent, and the aloin microcapsules prepared with water as the solvent were, respectively, added to the waterborne coating with different contents and coated on the surface of Tilia europaea. The effects of different modifiers and contents on the coating’s optical properties, mechanical properties, and antibacterial properties were explored. The results showed that the aloin microcapsules prepared with ethanol as the solvent had good morphology and comprehensive properties. When the content was 7.0%, the color difference of the waterborne coating was small, the adhesion was grade 3, the impact resistance was 12 kg·cm, and the antibacterial rate was 87.8%. In terms of antibacterial properties, the uncoated aloin powder, the coated aloin microcapsules prepared with ethanol as the solvent, and the aloin microcapsules prepared with water all have certain antibacterial properties and the antibacterial rates reached 99.2%, 97.3%, and 67.3%, respectively. This study provides a certain reference for developing antibacterial wood furniture coatings.

Analyzing changes in the U.S. wood furniture industry from 1997 to 2019: Production, net imports, and consumption

Wood-consuming furniture manufacturers (WCFM) are major users of forest products in the United States. Between 2000 and 2009, the real value of domestic WCFM shipments (production) declined by 51%. After 2009, WCFM shipments fluctuated, but by 2019 shipments were 48% below 2000 levels. A major contributor to this decline was furniture imports. In 1997, imports accounted for 6% and 23% of the value of upholstered household furniture (UHF) and wood household furniture (WHF), available to U.S. consumers, respectively. In 2019, imports accounted for 35% and 78% of domestically available UHF and WHF, respectively. The primary source of imported UHF in 2019 was China, while Vietnam was the most important source of WHF. Domestic consumption also influences WCFM shipments. Between 1997 and 2019, consumption of UHF by U.S. end-users increased; since 2002, this increase was primarily supplied through increased imports. Since 2005, domestic consumption of WHF declined by 45%, which contributed to the 75% decline in domestic shipments since that year. Wood office furniture and related products also have experienced a 40% decline in consumption since 2000, which coincided with a 41% decline in shipments. More research is needed to determine the impact of decreased WCFM shipments on U.S. forest product production and prices.

Ncidence of the pricing system on the performance of handcrafted wood furniture production enterprises

The artisan activity has turned some areas of Ecuador into benchmarks for the manufacture of wooden furniture. The experience of the artisan is hegemonic to the technification, however, these productive units have not established guidelines that allow the artisan to have a clear financial overview, reflecting the reality of manufacturing wooden furniture, limiting the producers a futuristic vision of growth. In the research, the incidence of pricing in the financial results obtained in the last year is analyzed, with information provided by the artisans through the application of research techniques and supported by the theoretical framework. The analysis of the results allowed to know the incidence of the variables pricing and commercialization in the behavior of the financial results, making necessary the application of a simple method for the accumulation of costs, which allows a decision of prices according to the characteristics of the sector

Research on Children’s Customized Furniture Design Based on Group Technology

Recently, solid wood furniture has become the new direction for the development of Chinese furniture industry. In order to realize solid wood customization, the standardization of solid wood parts is a problem for high priority. In this study, a standardized experimental study on children’s solid wood furniture parts was carried out by using group technology. Twenty pieces of children’s solid wood furniture were selected, including 1084 parts in total with 705 solid wood parts. Then, three key structural features of the parts were analyzed based on the processing similarity principle, including the center line of the long side direction of the parts, the shape of the outside surface of the long side direction and the shape of the outside surface of the short side direction. Moreover, these parts were classified according to the principle of process similarity. Accordingly, a children’s solid wood furniture parts family was established, and the distribution of parts in the family was analyzed. In detail, the parts with the dimensional difference within 2 mm were combined, the dimensional value was mainly based on the value of most parts before the combination and part specifications were optimized on the basis of the original specifications or its 1/2 method. The results show that the category of thickness specification reduced by 20, and the number of parts included in one thickness specification increased by 2.2 times on average. Moreover, the category of width specification reduced by 12, and the number of parts included in one width specification increased by 1.47 times on average. This not only greatly improves the degree of standardization of solid wood parts but also provides theoretical and practical basis for the digital design of mass customized children’s solid wood furniture.

Raw Material Consumption Controls on Environment Impacts of Sofa Production: A Case Study Based on Ecological Footprint

Wooden furniture production consumes a lot of forest resource and other resources, so it is important to estimate its environmental effect. In this research, we collected data in a sofa factory of China and appraised its environment impacts by the ecological footprint (EF) methodology. The results showed that the total EF of the sofa factory was 2 316.25 gha/year (gha: global hectare). The average EF of a sofa was 0.18 gha/year. For the total EF of the sofa factory, main contribution came from wooden materials (55%), followed by non-wooden materials (41.26%), and these two categories contributed above 96% of the total EF. Human labor accounted for 2.21% of the total footprint. The built land and water contributed a little to the total EF. For the total EF of the wooden materials, main contribution came from wood beams (57.6%), followed by plywood (41.08%); and for the total EF of the non-wooden materials, main contribution came from sponge (95.37%). In the end, we concluded that the incorporate of recycled wooden material and reused sponge in the sofa production could be viewed as an important strategy to achieve more sustainable manufacturing.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Consumers’ Preferences for Wood Furniture: An Accounting Perspective

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on forest product markets and the forest product industry, and has also seriously affected the sales of forest products. This research aimed to analyze people’s preference for wood furniture and make policy recommendations. We examined the impact of the pandemic on consumers’ preferences for wood furniture from the perspective of accounting. Taking the accounting data of wood furniture enterprises as the research object, through the translog revenue function, and using the relationship between revenue and consumption in economics, we found that the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced consumers’ preferences for wood furniture, but the decline in preference is smaller for wood furniture produced by extra-large furniture manufacturers. This study contributes to the literature and in view of our research results and the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, we provide policy suggestions for the related governmental agencies and wood furniture manufacturers, in this special environment, that can reduce the negative impact of a pandemic on the wood furniture industry.

Penerapan Etika Bisnis Islam Dalam Usaha Meubel Kayu

This study discusses the application of Islamic business ethics in the wood furniture business. Study on Wood Furniture Unit 1 Aimas, Sorong Regency, the purpose of this study is to find out how the application of Islamic business ethics in the wood furniture business. Qualitative descriptive research is intended to obtain a good, clear picture and can provide data as accurately as possible about the object under study. Furthermore, the data collection methods in this study used field observations, interviews, and documentation. Data processing and analysis techniques are carried out in three ways or stages, namely data reduction, data presentation and drawing conclusions. After the researchers conducted data analysis, it was found that in the application of Islamic business ethics in the wood furniture business, the Study on Wood Furniture Unit 1 Aimas, Sorong Regency has implemented Islamic business ethics in its business such as being honest in measurements, selling good quality goods, prohibited from using oaths, loose and generous, build good relations, orderly administration, and set prices transparently. Of the three furniture, the one that applies the most Islamic business ethics is Niqayah wood furniture where almost all of the indicators that exist he always gives the best and in accordance with his Islamic business ethics, while the Pangestu wood furniture and Rahayu wood furniture both do not apply Islamic business ethics to them. administrative order because these two furnitures do not record in the event of accounts payable, these two pieces of furniture only record for proof of payment notes that will be given to the customer. However, other Islamic business ethics have been applied in these three furniture well. The buyers are also satisfied because they get a price that is not too expensive and the goods ordered are according to their wishes and get good quality.

Framework for Furniture and Wood Processing Industry Polytechnic in Era Disruption of Covid-19

In the era of the Covid-19 pandemic, all activities are forced to adapt to the Disruption Era, one of which is the education sector. The era of Disruption Covid-19 changed the learning system from face to face to online and did not change the quality of the learning process. Therefore, the Furniture and Wood Processing Industry Polytechnic must create a new framework in order to survive. This study aims to create a new framework that has the perspectives of various stakeholders such as government, industry, academic institutions, certification institutions, students and technological developments. The making of this framework is based on PEST analysis and a drives competitive for universities according to (Panday, 2014). The result of the framework for the Wood Furniture and Processing Industry Polytechnic are implementation health protocol for Covid-19, improvement of facilities dan infrastructure, creating income from teaching factory, SDM adaptation for improvement facilities and infrastructure, and quality assurance of graduates. The next step is to carry out monitoring and evaluation (MONEV) so that the implementation of framework runs according to the references and targets.

ANALISIS KEKUATAN PATAH DAN DAYA SERAP AIR PAPAN KOMBINASI SERAT DENGAN LAMINASI BAMBU BETUNG (Dendrocalamus asper)

The problem faced by the wood processing industry in Indonesia today is the shortage of wood raw materials. This occurs because the speed at which timber is used is not balance with the speed at which new stands are build. Meanwhile, the need for wood for furniture, building materials and other needs continues to increase in line with population growth. Therefore, it is necessary to find alternative raw materials for the wood processing industry. Bamboo is one material that can be use for this purpose. Bamboo is a long fiber and has advantages in terms of the harvest period, namely within 3-4 years it can be harvested, shorter than 8-20 years for fast-growing timber species. In this research, a combination of fiber and laminate boards with epoxy adhesive. The material used is the type of betung bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper) and then tested on the combination of fiber and laminated bamboo boards there are 3 tests, namely fracture strength, absorption capacity and density. The results of this research indicate that from the treatment of 255g adhesive and 127.5g of fiber has a higher average compared to 127.5g of adhesive and 255g of fiber. From the test results, the combination of fiberboards and laminate boards as HDF (Hard Dencity Fiberboard) classified which can be used for materials for making adhesive walls, ceilings, pinyi and containers. However, in contrast to the 127.5g adhesive and 255g fiber treatment included in the MDF (Medium Dencity fiberboard) classification, furniture such as household appliances, molding, window frames, door skins and car dashboards are used.

Occupational scenarios and exposure assessment to formaldehyde: A systematic review.

The objectives of the systematic review were to: identify the work sectors at risk for exposure to formaldehyde; investigate the procedures applied to assess occupational exposure; evaluate the reported exposure levels among the different settings. An electronic search of Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science and ToxNet was carried out for collecting all the articles on the investigated issue published from January 1, 2004 to September 30, 2019. Forty‐three papers were included in the review, and evidenced a great number of occupational scenarios at risk for formaldehyde exposure. All the included studies collected data on formaldehyde exposure levels by a similar approach: environmental and personal sampling followed by chromatographic analyses. Results ranged from not detectable values until to some mg m−3 of airborne formaldehyde. The riskiest occupational settings for formaldehyde exposure were the gross anatomy and pathology laboratories, the hairdressing salons and some specific productive settings, such as wooden furniture factories, dairy facilities and fish hatcheries. Notice that formaldehyde, a well‐known carcinogen, was recovered in air at levels higher than outdoor in almost all the studied scenarios/activities; thus, when formaldehyde cannot be removed or substituted, targeted strategies for exposure elimination or mitigation must be adopted.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)-based tools for the eco-design of wooden furniture

The European furniture sector is dynamic and competitive, currently facing a transition to further increase the environmental sustainability and circularity of its products. Literature on this topic is relatively abundant and authors converge in the identification of the main sustainability criteria. Nevertheless, defining which sustainability criteria should be prioritized is still open to question. This is due to the high number of variables in the life cycle of furniture and also the specific characteristics of each piece of furniture. In this context, this paper has developed a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)-based tool that considers the main materials and processes typically used in the furniture sector. The tool is provided both as a model to be imported in an LCA software (for use by LCA-experts) and as a spreadsheet document (for use by non LCA-experts or for quick analyses). Both of these versions of the tool contain editable parameters that allow the model to be adapted to specific pieces of furniture. In addition, both versions have been tested using the case study of a wooden armchair conceived and produced by an Italian architectural and design firm. The tool has made it possible to quantify the environmental impacts of the armchair and the evaluation of four possible scenarios to enhance its environmental sustainability.This work can therefore guide the actors in furniture value chains as to the choice of the criteria able to maximise the furniture sustainability throughout its life cycle.

Environmentally friendly wood-fibre-based moulded products with improved hydrophobicity and dimensional stability

Difficulties such as long production cycles and raw material waste for manual carving and traditional crafting of profiled wooden furniture must be overcome. Here, an eco-friendly wood-fibre-based moulded product was fabricated by a one-step profile moulding method, and the hydrophobicity and dimensional stability of the moulded product were improved by heat treatment. The moulded products were prepared by injection moulding at 160 °C and were then heat treated at 180 °C and 200 °C for 24 h. The water contact angles increased on the surfaces of the heat-treated products and decreased more slowly in a dynamic process of 70 s with increasing treatment temperature. Meanwhile, decreased surface free energy was also observed after heat treatment, and thickness swelling declined by 74.6% and 76.1% at treatment temperatures of 180 °C and 200 °C compared to moulded products without heat treatment, respectively. This study provided new ideas for the industrial production of wood-fibre-based profile products with a novel and high-efficiency method and also expanded the application of wood-fibre products in very humid environments.

Analysis of Insect Pests in an 18th-Century Historical Pharmacy: A Case Study in Ferrara.

Simple SummaryHistorical pharmacies are cultural and scientific assets, and 482 of them have been catalogued thus far in Italy. The Navarra-Bragliani Pharmacy in Ferrara has valuable wood furniture dating back to the 18th century. In order to monitor and preserve it, a study on biodeteriogenic insects was carried out for the first time on the furnishing of this pharmacy, collecting insect samples and examining them by stereomicroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The presence of three species of Coleoptera was detected—the first one specialised to attack wood materials, the second one polyphagous, and the third one feeding on materials of animal origin. In addition to their use in the preservation of the precious furnishing of the Navarra-Bragliani Pharmacy, the results of this study could be useful for similar studies on other ancient pharmacies, in order to protect these valuable cultural and scientific assets.Historical pharmacies are valuable artistic, cultural, and scientific assets. In Italy, 482 historical pharmacies have been catalogued thus far, among which is the Navarra-Bragliani Pharmacy in Ferrara, whose wood furniture dates back to the 18th century. A study on insects causing biodeterioration was carried out for the first time on this valuable asset in order to monitor and preserve it. Insect samples were collected during surveys and examined by stereomicroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, using taxonomical keys for identification. The results revealed the presence of three species of Coleoptera—the first one specialised to attack wood materials, the second one polyphagous, and the third one feeding on materials of animal origin. The data obtained in this investigation may be useful for the preservation of the precious furnishing of the historical Navarra-Bragliani Pharmacy for performing similar studies on other ancient pharmacies aimed to protect these valuable cultural and scientific assets.