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An Ultrasonic Sensor System For Bacterially

Award Information
Agency: Department of Agriculture
Branch: N/A
Contract: N/A
Agency Tracking Number: 37684
Amount: $54,658.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 1997
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
245 West Roosevelt Rd., #51
West Chicago, IL 60185
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 DR. DONALD E. YUHAS
 () -
Business Contact
Phone: () -
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

A major problem in the hardwood lumber industry is the loss of production as the result of theformation of splits, checks, or ring failure during kiln drying. A primary cause of these drying defectsis the degradation of the green lumber as a result of bacterial infection. The optimum drying scheduleis dependent on the initial quality of the green lumber. Unfortunately, it is currently not possible todetermine the initial quality non-destructively under mill conditions. An improper drying scheduleapplied to infected wood can cause surface checks and honeycomb which are especially severe in oaklumber and a major source of value loss and wasteThe proposed program is directed at demonstrating the feasibility of using ultrasound to measure thebacterial degradation of green lumber prior to kiln drying. Implementation of this test method in themill will be used to sort and remove lumber from the processing stream prior to kiln drying.Alternately, the ultrasonic sensor data can be used to determine trim points, thus insuring that only non-infected segments are dried.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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