Morphological Analysis and Optimization of Technological Process for Rip Cutting of Round Timber

Coniferous sawn timber is extensively used in construction. However, the dimensional and qualitative composition of the round timber for lumber production has recently deteriorated significantly. The number of sawn logs with a diameter of 14–20 cm represents barely 50 % of the total supply of raw materials for sawmills. Besides that, large-diameter logs frequently have some signs of decay, which is mostly heartwood rot. Thus, the sawlog must be handled with caution. The problem is to intensify the sawing process, especially when logs have a presence of heartwood rot. This is possible to achieve with the implementation of modern technological sawing processes and specified equipment. A method of morphological research is used to select flowsheet diagrams of sawing and construction solutions for rip cutting equipment. The completeness of the morphological table is determined by the sum of all properties of the concept objects and is evaluated by obtaining effective technological and constructive solutions. According to the morphological method, a procedure of search systematization is developed. The patent search identified the main protective and published application documents concerning programs about ripping machines for round timber. The flowsheet diagrams for rip cutting of round timber and operational schemes for the equipment are adjusted according to the discovered regularities. A new sawing program is proposed in order to improve the efficiency of the equipment. It was licensed under a national patent of the Russian Federation. The evaluation of the possibility of implementing the technological process is made by analyzing the target costs for the production arrangement, the production rate per shift, and the quality of the final products. The proposed method for selecting directions to intensify the rip cutting of round timber gives the possibility to determine the effective technological and technical decisions at a project’s preliminary problem-solving stage. For citation: Toropov A.S., Byzov V.E. Morphological Analysis and Optimization of Technological Process for Rip Cutting of Round Timber. Lesnoy Zhurnal = Russian Forestry Journal, 2023, no. 2, pp. 132–145. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.37482/0536-1036-2023-2-132-145