Evaluation of Mechanical Properties and Surface Quality of Wood from Bosnia and Herzegovina Exposed to Outdoor Conditions

This study investigated the mechanical properties of beech(Fagus sylvatica L.)and fir(Abies alba)wood from Bosnia and Herzegovina under outdoor exposure.Samples were exposed for 3-month exposure to assess bending strength,color changes,and surface quality.Results showed outdoor exposure negatively affected mechanical properties,particularly in samples with extended finger joints,causing significant surface cracks in uncoated samples.Beech wood exhibited notable color changes under exposure,with approximately 50%darkening without coating compared to 25%under covered conditions.Coated samples displayed minimal color changes,affirming the efficacy of surface treatment.Fir wood exhibited a roughness of 8.264μm,while beechwood average roughness increased from 6.767 to 13.916μm after exposure,with micro-pore development affecting water performance.Microscopic analysis identified prevalent fungal colonies,including Penicillium,Aureobasidium,Sclerophoma,and Chaetomium,underscoring their role in organic matter decomposition.This study highlights the importance of wood exposure and treatment selection for various applications.

Impact of climate change on outdoor design conditions and implications to peak loads

This study exams the impact of climate change on outdoor design conditions and peak loads of five Chinese cities over the five major climate zones for the winter and summer conditions.The design dry-bulb temperature(DDBT)and the coincident wet-bulb temperature(CWBT)for two 30-year periods;1971–2000 and 1984–2013 were analysed.It was found that the DDBT of the period 1984–2013 was higher than that of the period 1971–2000,whereas the CWBT and the corresponding outdoor enthalpy of the period 1984–2013 was lower than that of 1971–2000 at the various cumulative frequencies.This trend implies that the increment in conductive heat gain through the building envelope due to the rising temperature can be lower than the reduction in fresh air load due to the lower outdoor air enthalpy.In this case,the peak cooling loads may reduce in all five cities under study,and this is different from the widely held view that global warming will lead to more stringent outdoor design conditions,higher peak cooling loads and larger heating,ventilation and air conditioning(HVAC)plants than the current or historical status.The implications to the“free-cooling”of HVAC systems with enthalpy control are discussed as well.

Vibrational characteristics of piping system in air conditioning outdoor unit

The modal analysis of piping system in air conditioner (AC) outdoor unit is essential to investigate the vibration properties of the system. In view of the growing significance of numerical finite element (FE) model for vibration behaviour prediction, the AC piping elastic end support characterization has been explored. The axial and radial stiffness variables (ka, kr1, kr2) of the compressor-piping mounting are obtained and represented by dynamic stiffness of compressor grommet. They are obtained from dynamic load deflection test based on compressor operating condition such as excitation frequency and amplitude. The unknown stiffness variables of the other tube end (chassis-piping mounting) are determined by parameter fine tuning. An experimental modal analysis using impact hammer test has also been employed to determine the vibration properties such as natural frequencies, mode shapes and damping ratio of the piping structures. The modal parameters acquisition using SCADAS mobile acquisition system and LMS Impact Testing software is compared with the corresponding simulated modal properties using Abaqus. Most of the simulated natural frequencies achieve good correlation with the measured frequencies and it is reasonably a good prediction model to predict vibration behaviour of AC piping structures.