As we accustomed the readers of PRO LIGNO Journal during the past year, we continue to present within the FRONTLINES heading the curricula subjects of the Wood Industry Faculty in Brasov. Thus, we try to meet the interest of several categories, such as employers, future candidates and foreign students, who wish to know what knowledge and which abilities are gained by the graduates of this faculty during the 4 years of study.

We continue in this edition the prezentation of the  subjects which are taught during the 2-nd year of study. Same as for the 1-st year, the curricula is common for both specializations and it mainly comprises general technical subjects (e.g. Strength of Materials, Special Mathematics, Heat Engineering, Machine Parts, Programming), but also some speciality-specific subjects (e.g. Wood Physics and Mechanics – included in a previous edition, Tolerances and Dimensional Control, Wooden Structures, Wood Preservation etc.).

Subject title: APPLIED HEAT ENGINEERING

Semester / Year of study: semester II / 2nd year

Status: compulsory

Objective:

• Gaining basic knowledge on the thermal properties of the budies, the laws and the means for producing, transformation, transfer and utilisation of heat in the thermal instalations.
• Application of the relevant problems of heat engineering into the wood processing technology.
  

Contents:
The lecture is structured on five fundamental chapters:

Chapter I.

• Introduction: thermodynamic system, state, fundamental thermodynamic state parameters.
• 1st law of the thermodynamics: heat, specific heat, latent heat, internal energy, enthalpy, forms of mechanical work, equations of the first law.
• Ideal gases: laws of the perfect gas, ideal gas equation of state, mixtures of ideal gases, internal energy and enthalpy, processes of ideal gases.
• 2nd law of thermodynamics: thermodynamics cycles, Carnot cycle, entropy, exergy and anergy.
  

Chapter II.

• Vapours: steam generation, vapours state parameters, diagrams, thermodynamic process of steam - isobaric process, adiabatic process, vapours lamination, steam throttling, steam power plants, vapour-compression refrigeration plants.

Chapter III.

• Humid air: state parameters, h-d diagram of the humid air, simple processes - isobaric heating and cooling of the humid air, adiabatic mixing of two amounts of humid air with different states, mixing of humid air with heat supply, adiabatic mixing of humid air with water, processes in a theoretical dryer.

Chapter IV.

• Fuels combustion: general aspects, heating values of fuels, calculation of the combustion process - complete combustion of solid and liquid fuels, complete combustion of gaseous fuels, temperature of combustion.

Chapter V.

• Heat transfer: heat transfer by conduction - temperature field and gradient, Fourier's law, differential equation of conduction, steady-state conduction through plane and cylindrical walls, heat transfer by convection - general aspects, Newton's law, convection heat-transfer coefficient, criteria of similarity in thermal convection, criterion equations, heat transfer through plane and cylindrical walls.

The practical laboratory works contain the following topics:

• Physical sizes and measuring units.
• Gauging of thermocouples.
• Determination of the liquid-vapour saturation curve for water.
• Determination of the heating value of the gaseous fuels.
• Determination of the coefficient of thermal conductivity for homogenous materials.
• Determination of the heat-transfer coefficient during free convection.
  

History:
            The present discipline, initially entitled Heat Engineering, was teached till 1997 at the Faculty of Wood Industry by Prof. dr. eng. Vasile SOVA. Because of its extent over two semesters and a higher number of hours, the content of the lecture contained other chapters as following: Fluids Flow and Theoretical cycles of the thermal machines with gases, and the current chapters had a bigger extent, containing for example other forms of heat transfer. Till academic year 2006-2007 the subject structure included also one hour of seminar per week, useful for numerical applications.

 Present Head of Discipline:
           Assist. Prof. dr. eng. Daniela SOVA, graduate of the Faculty of Wood Industry, class 1987.
Title of PhD thesis: "Contributions to the heat and mass transfer in the thermal improvement processes of the fibreboard". Thesis asserted in February 1999 at the Transilvania University of Brasov.

Publications within the field of the discipline:

• Sova, V., Sova, M., Sova, D. (1998). Heat Engineering and Machines, Thermal Kilns. Basic Theory. Applications. "Transilvania" University Publishing House, Brasov.
• Sova, D. (2000). Heat Engineering. Vol. I. "Transilvania" University Publishing House, Brasov, ISBN 973-9474-96-9.
• Sova, M., Sova, D. (2001). Heat Engineering. Vol. II. "Transilvania" University Publishing House, Brasov, ISBN 973-9474-95-0, ISBN 973-8124-65-4.
• Costiuc, L., Sova, D., et al. (2004). Heat Engineering and Machines, Thermal Kilns -Guide for practical works. "Transilvania" University Publishing House, Brasov.
  

Perspectives and Opportunities:
            The Department of Technical Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics from Transilvania University refers to enriching of the material basis of two of its main laboratories, namely: Measurements of the Thermo - Physical Properties of Materials and Heat and Mass Transfer, by completing the current endowment with modern equipment for measuring and data logging - recording systems, but also by acquisitioning new didactic high - performance equipment for the study of different heat transfer processes.

Subject title: TECHNICAL MATERIALS FOR WOOD INDUSTRY

Semester / Year of study:semester I / 2^nd year

Status: compulsory

Objectives:

• Gaining knowledge referring to the main technical products as raw materials and materials for wood gluing and finishing.
• Ensuring the scientific support for thoroughgoing study of the domain disciplines, that have a major importance for training a wood industry engineer, such as: particleboard, laminated products, other wood composites, furniture manufacturing etc.

Contents:

According to the present curricula, the lectured material is structured on two parts:

Part I. Technical materials for wood gluing

• General considerations about adhesives utilisation in wood industry. Adhesion phenomenon. Adhesion's theories.
• Classification of adhesives from wood industry.
• Natural adhesives: animal glues (casein, blood protein) and vegetable glues (starch, cellulose derivatives).
• Polyvinylacetate and related copolymers adhesives as solids, emulsions, aqueous dispersions.
• Synthetic and natural rubber adhesives.
• Polycondensation synthetic resins adhesives (unmodified and modified phenol-formaldehyde resins in liquid and solid state, urea-formaldehyde resins, melamine-formaldehyde resins, urea-melamine-formaldehyde resins).
• Adhesives recipes. Preparing, utilisation and hardening, gluing parameters.
• Polyaddition resins adhesives (polyurethane and epoxy resins).
• Testing of adhesives used in wood industry.
  

Part II. Technical materials for wood finishing

• Classification of technical materials for wood finishing.
• Technical materials for mechanical and chemical cleaning of wood surface.
• Technical materials for wood bleaching.
• Technical materials for wood dyeing (staining, colouring).
• Technical materials for actual finishing of wood.
• Basis and addition finishing products (dyes, pigments, fillers, siccative agents, plasticizers, matt finishing agents, solvents and thinners).
• Animal fats and oils - based technical finishing products.
• Natural resins - based technical finishing products.
• Nitrocellulosic technical finishing products.
• Synthetic resins based technical finishing products (alkyd, acid catalysed, natural polyester, polyurethane and water soluble resin).
  

The laboratory works are divided in two main parts, based on lectured material, as follows:

Part I. Technical materials for wood gluing

• Experimental determination of the specific physical and chemical characteristics of phenol-formaldehyde adhesives used in wood industry.
• Experimental determination of the specific physical and chemical characteristics of urea-formaldehyde adhesives type URELIT used in wood industry.
• Experimental determination of the specific physical and chemical characteristics of plyvinylacetate and related copolymers adhesives used in wood industry.
• Experimental determination of the specific physical and chemical characteristics of hot-melt adhesives used in wood industry.
• Determination of formaldehyde content in urea-formaldehyde adhesives and wood based products.
  

Part II. Technical materials for wood finishing

• Technical materials for wood cleaning and bleaching.
• Technical materials for wood staining.
• Determination of specific physical, chemical properties of nitrocellulosic coating materials.
• Determination of specific physical, chemical properties of acid catalysed finishing materials.
• Determination of specific physical, chemical and technological properties of thinners and equalisers used in wood industry.
  

History:

Since the first year of the setting up of the Wood Industry Faculty, this discipline was included in the curricula. By then it was entitled "Auxiliary Materials" and teached by Assist.Prof. Eng. Petre SUCIU.
In 1964 the head of subject with the same title was Assist.Prof. Eng. Ioan CRISTEA, and between 1968-1972 the lecture was teached by Lecturer. Dr. Eng. Sabin RISCUTA.
However, the main maker of this discipline was Prof. Dr. Eng. Maria-Daniela MIHAI, who entitled this discipline "Technical Materials" starting with 1972.
During the activity of 29 years at the same discipline Prof. Dr. Eng. Maria-Daniela MIHAI was the teacher who elaborated the basis references as lectures, laboratory guides, books published in prestigious publishing houses, that are still actual and oftenly requested not only by students but also by specialists from industry. Her scientific activity consisting in scientific papers presented and published at prestigious national and international conferences, contributed to the consolidation of this discipline and gave it a profound application character.
Prof. Dr. Chem. Maria-Cristina TIMAR who started her didactic carrier as assistant at this discipline in 1986 has another important contribution, at the present being the head of discipline at the specialisation in English language.
In time all teachers who sustained hours and/or continue the activity at this discipline try to maintain alive the high professionalism example of the distinguished lady Prof dr. ing. Maria-Daniela MIHAI, to prove the same devotion and passion.

Present Head of Discipline:

Prof.Dr.Eng. Valeriu PETROVICI, graduate of the Faculty of Industrial Chemistry, Iasi, class 1969.
Title of PhD Thesis: " Research concerning the valorisation in paper industry of residual liquor from the viscose industry". Thesis asserted in June 1976 at the Polytechnic Institute "Gh Asachi" from Iasi.

Publications within the field of the discipline:

• 17 papers published in proceedings of international scientific conferences;
• 16 papers published in scientific journals in the field of wood industry;
• 13 papers published in proceedings of national conferences;
• 6 patents.

• Research Studies Concerning the Gluing Shearing Strength of some Adhesive Compositions Based on Urea Formaldehyde Resin of the S URELIT Type Used for Wood Gluing". Paper presented and published at the International Symposium "Wood Structure and Properties '06", September 3-6, 2006, Sliac - Sielnica, Slovakia.
• Aspects and trends in the national and international standardization referring to the formaldehyde emmission in wood industry" (in Romanian language). Paper presented and published at the National Conference "Wood Science and Engineering in the IIIrd Millennium", 20-21 November, 2003, Brasov, România.

Awards/Titles:

• Between 1.02.2000-1.09.2001 - Vice-dean of the Faculty of Wood Industry.
• Since 2004 - PhD supervisor in the fundamental field ENGINEERING SCIENCES, area: Materials Science and Engineering.
  

Perspectives and Opportunities:

The future development of the discipline considers the following directions:

• The development of this discipline takes into consideration the following opportunities:
• Enriching the endowment of the Technical Materials Laboratory by acquisition of modern equipment according to European norms.
• RENAR accreditation of laboratory, in order to give it the statute of authorised laboratory at national and international level.
  

Research

During 2006, the endowment of the Thermal Treatments of Wood Laboratory was significantly enriched within a program financed by the Ministery of Education and Research, which envisaged the creation of license teaching laboratories within Romanian universities. Beside modern multimedia equipment and measuring devices, the main item purchased on this occasion was a state-of-the-art climate chamber produced by FEUTRON (Germany). This installation consists of a test chamber made of stainless steel, with a capacity of 0.28m3, provided with two Pt100 temperature sensors and a capacitive sensor for measuring the relative air humidity. The installation allows the performance of complex thermal treatments, even over long periods of time, resulting from the combination of different temperature and relative air humidity values within the intervals -40…+100ºC and respectively 10…98%. Thus, the climate chamber practically allows:
- freezing wood down to temperatures of -40ºC; an additional temperature sensor allows continuous temperature measurement inside wood;
- unfreezing and drying wood by different conditions, at temperatures below 100ºC;
- conditioning to a certain equilibrium moisture content, by maintaining and strictly observing constant parameters within the test chamber.

All processes are automatically controlled and can be recorded by means of the optional FKS WinControl software, which allows automatic data aquisitioning, graphical processing and also statistical data processing.

The chamber also offers other facilities, such as: an ecological refrigerant agent (R507), inner illumination of the test chamberpossibility of adjusting the changing rate (gradient) of the air parameters, warning alarm system when power is cut off, protection system against unauthorised persons access etc.

Considering all these possibilities, a research program has been established for 2007, to be carried out within the research direction "Modern Technologies in Wood Industry", coordinated by Assist.Prof.Dr.Eng. Dumitru LICA. This program including the approach of the following themes:

1. Study concerning the influence of water freezing inside wood upon its physical, mechanical and technological properties.
   Parts of these research are going to be presented within the International Conference "Wood Science and Engineering in the Third Millennium" - Brasov (Romania), June 2007 and will also be included within an article to be proposed for publishing in Holzforschung.
2. Establishing optimum defreezing conditions for different wood species, so as to avoid casehardening.
   The results of this research are going to be presented at the 10-th edition of the International IUFRO Wood Drying Conference - Bangor (USA), August 2007 and will also be included within an article to be proposed for publishing in Drying Technology.
3. Comparative study concerning the workability (by sawing) of frozen and unfrozen wood.
   The results of this research are going to be be proposed for publishing in Holz als Roh- und Werkstoff.
4. Determination of diffusion coefficients of bound water in pine wood.
   The results of this research performed by students are going to be presented within the Scientific Student Session, May 2007 and will also be included within an article to be proposed for publishing in PRO LIGNO Journal.
5. Establishing optimum drying schedules for branch wood.
   This theme is part of the CNCSIS project "Eco-design and eco-technology for furniture and other products obtained from secondary natural resources" and its results will be reported within this project.
6. Conditioning of glues wood samples in environments with high temperature and relative humidity in order to determine the gluing type as function of the shearing strength.
   The topics is part of a research performed within a Ph.D-thesis.
   Towards the end of the year, two more subjects are to be approached, whose results are going to be disseminated at the beginning of 2008, namely:
7. Study concerning water removal from wood through freezing-defreezing cycles.
8. Determination of the swelling force developed by wood.
   Thus - multiple opportunities and themes with practical applicability, which we hope to raise the interest of industrials. Any support by provision of wooden material or financial support for participation to conferences, publication etc. is welcome and will be acknowledged. We are also more than willing to receive your suggestions concerning other research themes of interest, which could be approached in future.