Influence of thermal modification and sanding parameters on finest particle content in pinewood dust

ABSTRACT

The study's objective was to assess the particle-size distribution and formulate an empirical model for the content of the finest dust created during the sanding of unmodified and thermally modified pine wood. The experimental design included unmodified and two options of thermally modified pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) wood samples, four feed speeds (3; 6; 9; 12 m·min⁻¹), and three grit sizes of sanding belts (P60; P80; P100). The wood dust samples underwent sieve analysis to determine the particle-size distribution and laser analysis to determine the content of the finest particles. The sanding of thermally modified wood produced a higher amount of fine dust compared to unmodified wood. The content of fine dust increased with decreasing feed speed, while larger grit sizes resulted in increased production of fine dust. The average mass share of dust < 2.5, < 4, and < 10 µm was significantly lower when sanding the unmodified wood than thermally modified wood. The influence of feed speed, grit size, and material type on dust creation suggests that thermal modification is a factor in increasing the content of the potentially harmful finest particles (respirable fraction). The presented empirical model can help minimize health risks during the sanding of thermally modified pine wood by adjusting the sanding parameters.

KEYWORDS:

• laser diffraction analysis
• particle-size distribution
• sieve analysis
• wood dust

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

All authors contributed to the study's conception and design. LH performed material preparation and data collection. JM performed data analysis. LH, MP, and MS wrote the initial version of the manuscript. LH and TR conceptualized the study. All authors contributed to the interpretation and discussion results. LH provided revisions during the review stage. All authors have approved the submitted version of the manuscript.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Specific University Research Fund MENDELU IGA-LDF-22- TP-004: “Advanced tool materials and their influence on the parameters of CNC machining of wood-based materials”. The study also received support from the funding for statutory R&D activities of the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Poznań University of Life Sciences under research tasks No. 506.227.02.00 and No. 506.221.02.00.