Validation of a CT-based simulator against a sawmill yield

• Over the past decade, the sawmill sector has made significant advancements in developing methods for measuring inner properties of sawlogs. Noninvasive scanning, e.g., x-ray scanning, has proven to have good prospects for on-line implementation in sawmills. When the internal scanning technique does come on-line in sawmills, software able to utilize the scanned information becomes a useful tool to control the sawing process. Thus, the validation of such a computed tomography (CT)-based software against sawmill cutting becomes an important step in the development of the whole scanning approach. This paper presents the results of an effort to simulate the 1-year lumber production of a medium-sized Swedish sawmill with the aid of a CT-based simulator, the virtual SawMill (vSM). This saw simulation program is able to utilize the parametrical description of the logs achieved from x-ray CT-scanning. When performing the simulation, the vSM used 625 Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) logs from the Swedish Stem Bank as raw material supply for the sawing process. The simulated sawing process was adjusted to keep, as much as possible, the same attributes as the sawing process from the sawmill. The output data collected from the sawmill was compared with the simulated one with respect to the quality and the length distribution of the yielded boards. The results showed good agreement between the real and the simulated cutting for both quality and length criteria. This study suggests that the Swedish Stem Bank along with the vSM software could be used as an efficient tool in further research and strategic production planning.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Maskinteknik -- Annan maskinteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Mechanical Engineering -- Other Mechanical Engineering (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Träteknik

Wood Technology

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