Sustainability through the use of renewable raw materials has been the main focus for the Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research for more than 65 years.
Founded in 1946, it ranks, with currently 130 permanent employees, as one of the largest facilities in Europe for applied research into wood. More than 7,000m2 of offices, laboratories and technical facilities are available for carrying out research assignments.
Fraunhofer WKI specializes in process technology, natural-fibre composites, wood protection and emission control, quality assurance of wood products, recycling procedures and the use of organic building materials and wood in construction.
Almost all the procedures and materials which result from the research activities at the Institute are used industrially. Fraunhofer WKI operates worldwide and works project-related with research institutions and industrial partners – companies from the wood and furniture industries, the construction industry, the chemical and the automotive industry.
Close links to fundamental research, in particular to the TU Braunschweig, exist through several joint professorships, including Prof. Dr.-Ing. Kasal’s position as Chair of Organic and Wood-Based Materials at the Institute of Building Materials, Concrete Construction and Fire Protection.
WKI’S SIX DEPARTMENTS
The Technology for Wood-based Materials department is concerned with the development of composite materials from wood and other lignocellulosic raw materials as well as the material use of secondary raw materials such as waste wood, waste paper and production residues. The spectrum of material developments ranges from particleboard and fibreboard through engineered wood products (OSB, plywood, LVL) to wood-polymer materials, 3D moulded parts made from natural fibres and material compounds on a small industrial scale as well as pressure-resistant wood foams. Measurement methods for process and quality control enable reliable detection of manufacture-related structural defects such as delamination, undesirable structural anomalies and cracks.
Another area of work is material analysis and indoor chemistry, covering the measurement and assessment of indoor air contaminants and consumer products. The development of new analysis and sampling techniques, as well as the construction of emission test chambers and cells, are further important areas of work.
In the area of surface technology, the entire value chain for the development of wood coatings is processed. This includes the modification of monomers and the polymer synthesis of binders for coatings and adhesives, the additivation and formulation of paints and application techniques as well as the testing and evaluation of the final products. The research focus is currently concentrated on the synthesis of binders based on renewable raw materials as alternatives to petrochemical base substances.
Meanwhile, the Centre for Light and Environmentally-Friendly Structures is a joint competence centre formed by Fraunhofer WKI and the Technical University of Braunschweig in 2014. The focus is placed upon the development of new materials, technologies, sub-systems and hybrid construction systems in structural engineering, using renewable raw resources. The aim is to diminish the disadvantages of individual materials and to exploit the advantages. Hybrid construction systems enable the efficient application of woodbased materials in multi-storey buildings and lightweight construction systems. Only through the combination of different materials with their respective ranges of use can worldwide application and the effective usage of local resources be realized.
Quality Assessment
In terms of quality assessment, Fraunhofer WKI deals with the quality monitoring of solid wood (EN 14081), wood-based materials (EN 13986) and glued laminated timber (EN 14080) as well as prefabricated wall, ceiling and roof elements (EN 14732) and elastic, textile and laminate flooring (EN 14041). The department functions as an official authority for material testing and offers companies the certification and testing of wood-based materials – not only in Europe, but also, through the relevant approvals, in America and Japan. Furthermore, the employees analyze wood and wood-based materials physically, mechanical-technologically and in regard to their material parameters. A further focus is the determination of emissions such as formaldehyde, VOC, PMDI, phenols, ammonia and others from uncoated and coated or veneered wood-based materials.
HOFZET
The HOFZET was established in 2012 and is based at the Hanover University of Applied Sciences. The research focus is on fibre and fabric-reinforced composite materials with a polymeric matrix, technical wood and natural fibres as well as synthetic fibres and bio-based fillers. This includes the evaluation of the material components, the development and optimisation of sustainable (bio) hybrid materials and the further development and adaptation of manufacturing processes for fibre-reinforced components.
