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Energy Consumption for Furniture Joints during Drilling in Birch Plywood
The purpose of this study is to support eco-design ideas and sustainable manufacturing techniques by examining the energy consumption related to drilling holes for different furniture connections. The experimental model is a simple piece of furniture made from birch plywood with three different types of joints. Eccentric joints, confirmat screws, and dowel measurements of energy consumption with a CNC drilling and milling machine show different values for every kind of connector. The energy consumption was measured using a portable power quality analyzer, specifically the PQ-box 150 manufactured by A:Eberle GmbH & Co. KG Nürnberg, Germany. This device likely adheres to industry standards for energy measurement, ensuring accurate and reliable results. The measurement process involved recording energy consumption at different stages of the machining process, allowing for the analysis of specific cutting work and total energy consumption for various joint types. Dowels exhibit the lowest energy consumption at 0.105 Wh for one furniture joint, confirmat screws at 0.127 Wh, while eccentric joints, despite their higher energy consumption (0.173 Wh), offer enhanced transportability and assembly flexibility of a piece of furniture. Specific cutting power for one selected piece of furniture was 227.89 J/mm3 for dowels, 190.63 J/mm3 for eccentric joints and 261.68 J/mm3 for confirmat screws.
Improving the stiffness of the corner connections in wooden door frames
The research aimed to determine the strength and stiffness of corner joints in interior door frames, depending on their construction and the modifications made to the design of the door frame joints. Initially, two models were compared: model 1, with two connectors using a clamping screw at an angle of 45°, and model 0, with a single connector using a cam joint at an angle of 90°. In all tests, model 1 exhibited significantly better mechanical properties. To improve the performance of model 0, three alternative construction models (A, B, and C) were proposed by changing the position of the door frame mounting holes. In the compression test, model A showed an increased bending moment compared to model 0, while models B and C showed no such improvement. In the tension test, the bending moment values remained at a similar level across all construction variants, including model 0. In terms of bending moment, the best result in compression was achieved by model A (48.26 Nm), and in tension by model B (48.72 Nm). The highest stiffness was demonstrated by model 1 (up to 42.38 kNm/rad), while among the alternative models, model C showed the best result in tension (33.98 kNm/rad). Due to the favourable increase in bending moment under compression in model A and the insignificant changes under tension across all variants, model A is considered the optimal solution. To enhance the strength of the door frame, offset holes can be applied as proposed in this model.