title: Measurement of internal stress in Radiata pine sapwood during drying using an improved online sensor

authors: Ferrari, Silvia

subjects: piezoresistive pressure sensor

abstract: Internal stress in wood as a result of kiln drying is an important factor that affects the quality of the final product. Internal stress is inherently difficult to measure and it is usually either assessed through destructive sample evaluation after drying, or is predictively modelled using extensive material property relations which require much effort to obtain. This study describes improvements of the design, accuracy, and precision of a previously constructed stress sensor for the direct measurement of internal stress in wood during drying. The sensor is designed to be placed directly into a wood block and it records online internal uniaxial stress. Lurethane® was found to be the best material for transmitting internal stress to the sensor because reduced creep was observed, compared with Teflon® which was originally used. Stress modelling showed that a linear relation could be theoretically obtained between the stress from the sensor and the actual primary axis stress that is likely to occur in an intact wood block. Accordingly, the response of a sensor placed in a certain area could be successfully calibrated. However, rotation of the sensor away from the primary stress axis caused a decrease in recorded stress but did not affect stress trends during drying, provided the angle remained constant. Finally, stress results from drying Pinus radiata D. Don at 70°C are also described and discussed.

text: Measurement of internal stress in Radiata pine sapwood during drying using an improved online sensor Internal stress in wood as a result of kiln drying is an important factor that affects the quality of the final product. Internal stress is inherently difficult to measure and it is usually either assessed through destructive sample evaluation after drying, or is predictively modelled using extensive material property relations which require much effort to obtain. This study describes improvements of the design, accuracy, and precision of a previously constructed stress sensor for the direct measurement of internal stress in wood during drying. The sensor is designed to be placed directly into a wood block and it records online internal uniaxial stress. Lurethane® was found to be the best material for transmitting internal stress to the sensor because reduced creep was observed, compared with Teflon® which was originally used. Stress modelling showed that a linear relation could be theoretically obtained between the stress from the sensor and the actual primary axis stress that is likely to occur in an intact wood block. Accordingly, the response of a sensor placed in a certain area could be successfully calibrated. However, rotation of the sensor away from the primary stress axis caused a decrease in recorded stress but did not affect stress trends during drying, provided the angle remained constant. Finally, stress results from drying Pinus radiata D. Don at 70°C are also described and discussed.

year: 2010

title: Alignment of Short Fibres: An Overview

authors: Sunny, Tom

abstract: Fibre orientation is a major factor influencing composite performance; research, largely on synthetic fibre composites, supports that the best mechanical performances are achieved in composites when fibres are aligned in the loading direction. Generally, with short natural plant fibre (SNPF) composites, randomly oriented fibre mats are used as reinforcements due to the innate limits of fibre length and the difficulty of aligning short fibre. However, there are a number of methods that have been developed for aligning short fibre, again largely employed for synthetic fibres. The two main approaches employed to align short fibres relate to whether dry or wet processing is used available in literature; in wet processes, fibres are generally suspended in a liquid medium and alignment of fibre trails the fluid flow direction, whereas in dry processes, dry fibres are aligned in the direction of an induced or applied force such as pneumatic or electric. An overview of different alignment methods with their working principles is presented in this paper. This paper also describes an alignment technique currently under development to improve the alignment obtained for SNPFs.

text: Alignment of Short Fibres: An Overview Fibre orientation is a major factor influencing composite performance; research, largely on synthetic fibre composites, supports that the best mechanical performances are achieved in composites when fibres are aligned in the loading direction. Generally, with short natural plant fibre (SNPF) composites, randomly oriented fibre mats are used as reinforcements due to the innate limits of fibre length and the difficulty of aligning short fibre. However, there are a number of methods that have been developed for aligning short fibre, again largely employed for synthetic fibres. The two main approaches employed to align short fibres relate to whether dry or wet processing is used available in literature; in wet processes, fibres are generally suspended in a liquid medium and alignment of fibre trails the fluid flow direction, whereas in dry processes, dry fibres are aligned in the direction of an induced or applied force such as pneumatic or electric. An overview of different alignment methods with their working principles is presented in this paper. This paper also describes an alignment technique currently under development to improve the alignment obtained for SNPFs.

year: 2017

title: How Pākehā in not-for-profit organisations implement Te Tiriti o Waitangi

authors: Newcombe, Nicolina Isabel

subjects: Decolonisation

abstract: The aims of this research are to understand what is happening in not-for-profit organisations in relation to our obligation to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and to describe some strategies Pākehā can use to implement Te Tiriti o Waitangi in our work in the not-for-profit sector.  

The history of, and current circumstances affecting, the not-for-profit sector have formed a disabling context, diverting energy away from deepening relationships with local hapū (subtribe). Compounding this situation, the core texts about Te Tiriti and not-for-profit organisations are inconsistent and mainly focus on the first steps of the journey: Treaty education and self assessment.  

After writing about my own experiences with Te Tiriti and working in the not-for-profit sector and comparing my stories with the stories of other Pākehā, I recorded and transcribed conversations with six anonymous Pākehā not-for-profit workers and analysed our commonalities. All participants and their organisations wanted to enact best practice, although 
this aspiration was challenged by many factors, including: a spectrum of understandings about Te Tiriti which often led to piecemeal attempts at power sharing; concerns about the effectiveness of self-assessment by Pākehā about our own Treaty work because of inevitable and inbuilt biases; experience of minimisation or exclusion for speaking up about Te Tiriti at work; box ticking Treaty policies; Māori employees being treated differently to other staff; and confusion between cultural expression and genuine power sharing.  

Protective factors that came through in interviews included: cultural practices that were woven through organisations in a way that was beneficial and welcoming to Māori; relationships with kaumātua (elders); appropriate and emotionally engaging Treaty education; Māori governance members, Māori led research in the community, and Māori involvement in all projects; te reo (Māori language) being a commonly used language in the work place; acknowledgment of our own privilege as Pākehā; and engagement in continuous dialogue about racism. 

Reflections on these issues led to recommendations for how to move forward with implementing Te Tiriti in not-for-profit organisations. These recommendations hinge on a set of actions underpinned by a set of values. Three change management strategies are also described to assist organisations with this transformation. 

This research is intended to be a building block towards empowering Pākehā allies to identify practices, policies, and power structures that could be developed to transform our organisations, and embody our obligations to Te Tiriti, leading to more effective outcomes for all New Zealanders.

text: How Pākehā in not-for-profit organisations implement Te Tiriti o Waitangi The aims of this research are to understand what is happening in not-for-profit organisations in relation to our obligation to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and to describe some strategies Pākehā can use to implement Te Tiriti o Waitangi in our work in the not-for-profit sector.  

The history of, and current circumstances affecting, the not-for-profit sector have formed a disabling context, diverting energy away from deepening relationships with local hapū (subtribe). Compounding this situation, the core texts about Te Tiriti and not-for-profit organisations are inconsistent and mainly focus on the first steps of the journey: Treaty education and self assessment.  

After writing about my own experiences with Te Tiriti and working in the not-for-profit sector and comparing my stories with the stories of other Pākehā, I recorded and transcribed conversations with six anonymous Pākehā not-for-profit workers and analysed our commonalities. All participants and their organisations wanted to enact best practice, although 
this aspiration was challenged by many factors, including: a spectrum of understandings about Te Tiriti which often led to piecemeal attempts at power sharing; concerns about the effectiveness of self-assessment by Pākehā about our own Treaty work because of inevitable and inbuilt biases; experience of minimisation or exclusion for speaking up about Te Tiriti at work; box ticking Treaty policies; Māori employees being treated differently to other staff; and confusion between cultural expression and genuine power sharing.  

Protective factors that came through in interviews included: cultural practices that were woven through organisations in a way that was beneficial and welcoming to Māori; relationships with kaumātua (elders); appropriate and emotionally engaging Treaty education; Māori governance members, Māori led research in the community, and Māori involvement in all projects; te reo (Māori language) being a commonly used language in the work place; acknowledgment of our own privilege as Pākehā; and engagement in continuous dialogue about racism. 

Reflections on these issues led to recommendations for how to move forward with implementing Te Tiriti in not-for-profit organisations. These recommendations hinge on a set of actions underpinned by a set of values. Three change management strategies are also described to assist organisations with this transformation. 

This research is intended to be a building block towards empowering Pākehā allies to identify practices, policies, and power structures that could be developed to transform our organisations, and embody our obligations to Te Tiriti, leading to more effective outcomes for all New Zealanders.

year: 2019