Research Interests
The area Wood Materials Technologies focuses on different wood technological processes as well as on the destructive and non-destructive testing of wood and wood products. Research activities focus on the characterisation of wood and its primarily (thermo-)mechanical transformation into materials for construction and furniture. Their recalcitrance against negative effects of moisture and humidity, their fire resistance, and the significance of emissions from wood-based materials are being closely considered. Since adhesives play an essential role in the manufacture of advanced wood materials, special attention is dedicated to their synthesis and optimisation towards superior performance and minimised environmental impact. In addition, interactions between material features and technological processes and methods are investigated.
Our research topics comprise:
- Analysis and optimisation of disintegration processes of wood composites and renewable raw materials
- Drying technology (simulation and optimising industrial drying process)
- Wood and fiber modification
- Surface functionalisation and hydrophobising
- Fire behaviour of renewable raw materials
- Optimisation of production processes to reduce product variability
- Development of new adhesives
- Analysing adhesive properties (e.g. tack) as well as interactions between adhesive and wood
- Adhesive distribution on industrially manufactured wood composites
- Analytic and evaluation of VOC and odours from solid wood and wood composites
- Development of processes for VOC and odour reduction
- Function oriented wood composites by means of „Design Engineering“
Team Mechanical Disintegration
The team Mechanical Disintegration (MEDI) focuses on fundamental investigations of workpiece-, particle- and cutting tool behavior at conventional disintegration technologies as well as on the development of methods for the investigation of varying research questions related to mechanical disintegration.
Team Smart Wood & Natural Materials
Within the scope of various projects, the team Smart Wood & Natural Building Materials is working on novel functionalisation methods that lead to improved material properties, particularly with regard to fire and moisture resistance. Research topics range from hydro-thermal treatments over different functionalisation methods to porous structures and multifunctional wood composites, with a focus on building applications.
Team Advanced Bonding
Bonding is the basis for all wood composites as adhesion and cohesion distribute in their mechanical stability. The team Advanced Bonding (ADBO) investigates adhesive properties and adhesive distribution. Furthermore, new adhesives, also based on renewable raw materials as well as ideal bonding systems for novel wood composites are developed.
Team Indoor Quality & Emission Control
The team Indoor Quality & Emission Control deals with method-development, analytics, measurement and evaluation of VOC and formaldehyde from wood composites and wood products with focus on indoor use. Furthermore, technologies for reduction of undesired emissions and odors from wood raw material used for wood composites and wood products, (e.g. microbial modification) are central research questions.
Team Wood Composites & Digital Transformation
The team Wood Composites & Digital Transformation focuses on actual topics in the area of wood composite research (e.g. increase reusability of wood or innovative concepts for wood construction) as well as in the usage of newest digital technologies and approaches in research for wood processing. Digital approaches range from classical machine learning for process analysis over deep learning for computer vision challenges to complex analyses of acoustic signals or research for assistance systems.
