Subventions et des contributions :

Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2018-2019).

Lawrence Wood Products Ltd. (Lawrence Wood) of Hanwell, New Brunswick, is a small-scale companyx000D
producing drumsticks, about 80% of which are made of hickory. Hickory is a widely-accepted wood species forx000D
making drumsticks due to its high density and good shock absorbing capacity. Lawrence Wood purchasesx000D
hickory mainly from USA. However, the price and availability of hickory may become uncertain due tox000D
possible renegotiation or even termination of the North American Free Trade Agreement. To overcome thisx000D
risk, an alternative way is to seek local hardwood species and/or engineered wood material(s). The proponent,x000D
Dr. Meng Gong, has recommended to use, via the thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) densification technology,x000D
densified wood to make drumsticks. It is expected that the THM densified wood will have an increased densityx000D
that reaches or exceeds the density of hickory, and therefore will have similar or even superior mechanical andx000D
acoustic properties. Dr. Meng Gong has successfully conducted a series of research projects on thex000D
improvement of the surface properties of low density wood in the last decade. He and his team have developedx000D
a set of THM densification processing parameters for aspen and balsam fir locally grown in Atlantic region.x000D
This THM technology can be easily transferred to other wood species such as white ash, by optimizing thex000D
densification parameters. From the outcomes of this proposed project, the ultimate goal of the follow-up R&Dx000D
research will be the development of a production line for making densified wood, and commercialization of thex000D
densified wood drumsticks. This project is expected to take 6 months to complete. The THM densified wood tox000D
be developed will ensure that Lawrence Wood has a long-term source of sustainable wood for makingx000D
drumsticks. It will no doubt enhance the competitiveness of Canadian wood products on the global market,x000D
create new products for wood products manufacturers, and furthermore add new job opportunities.