TY - CONF

T1 - Knowledge Transfer Partnership. Adding value to UK grown timber in construction

AU - Dimitriou, Athanasios

AU - Ellis, Peter

AU - Spear, Morwenna

AU - Curling, Simon

AU - Jones, Richard

AU - Ormondroyd, Graham

PY - 2017/9/6

Y1 - 2017/9/6

N2 - The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) is a programme that encourages collaborations between business and academia in order to increase competitiveness and innovation in industry. The main benefits of KTPs are to provide industries with increasing profitability as a result of the quality improvement by production method optimisation and new product development that can create access to new markets. This project is held between Clifford Jones Timber Ltd and the BioComposites Centre of Bangor University in order to add value to, so far undervalued UK grown softwood timber. In the UK’s building materials market, sawn timber is the third most imported material (National Statistics 2017). Sitka spruce, Scots pine and Larch are the most common timber resources in UK, with Spruce accounting for 62% of the overall resources (Forestry Commission 2011). Softwood grown in the UK is fast grown, which can cause major defects such as bowing and warping when dried to 12% MC or lower (Crawford et al. 2015). Several studies suggest a solution to drying UK grown timber to 12%, is to introduce medium-high heat and steam during the drying process. The high temperature and steam enables the relaxation of lignin and aids in restraining the massive twists, which are observed with conventional drying methods (Riepen et al. 2004, Cooper and Cornwell 2005). Cross laminated timber (CLT), which is not yet produced in the UK, seems a suitable alternative product that can utilise timber not currently considered for structural purposes. Crawford et al. (2013) had proved that it is possible to produce CLT made of Sitka Spruce with very promising results. This projects aims to the development of a CLT product made by UK grown timber and transfer the academic knowledge to the industry through the process.

AB - The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) is a programme that encourages collaborations between business and academia in order to increase competitiveness and innovation in industry. The main benefits of KTPs are to provide industries with increasing profitability as a result of the quality improvement by production method optimisation and new product development that can create access to new markets. This project is held between Clifford Jones Timber Ltd and the BioComposites Centre of Bangor University in order to add value to, so far undervalued UK grown softwood timber. In the UK’s building materials market, sawn timber is the third most imported material (National Statistics 2017). Sitka spruce, Scots pine and Larch are the most common timber resources in UK, with Spruce accounting for 62% of the overall resources (Forestry Commission 2011). Softwood grown in the UK is fast grown, which can cause major defects such as bowing and warping when dried to 12% MC or lower (Crawford et al. 2015). Several studies suggest a solution to drying UK grown timber to 12%, is to introduce medium-high heat and steam during the drying process. The high temperature and steam enables the relaxation of lignin and aids in restraining the massive twists, which are observed with conventional drying methods (Riepen et al. 2004, Cooper and Cornwell 2005). Cross laminated timber (CLT), which is not yet produced in the UK, seems a suitable alternative product that can utilise timber not currently considered for structural purposes. Crawford et al. (2013) had proved that it is possible to produce CLT made of Sitka Spruce with very promising results. This projects aims to the development of a CLT product made by UK grown timber and transfer the academic knowledge to the industry through the process.

M3 - Paper

T2 - Final Cost Action FP1303 conference

Y2 - 6 September 2017 through 7 September 2017

ER -