Research Articles

This study evaluated and compared the biometric properties of wood from three fruit tree species: apricot, plum, and cherry. Three healthy trees from each species were randomly selected and sampled from gardens in Shahriyar, Tehran Province, Iran. Biometric analysis was conducted on fiber samples taken from radial positions at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 90% of the stem and branch radius. The Franklin method was used for fiber separation, and 30 fiber dimensions were measured per sample. The maximum fiber length was observed in apricot stem wood at 50% radius (1282 µm), and the minimum in apricot branch wood at 25% radius (835 µm). Across all three species, stem wood showed higher values for fiber length, slenderness coefficient, Runkel ratio, and rigidity ratio compared to branch wood. These properties generally increased from pith to bark, and the variations were statistically significant at the 99% confidence level.

In recent years, the number of university students in China has increased, while dormitory furniture often fails to meet students’ diverse needs. This study develops a hybrid FKANO-ANP-EW-TOPSIS model to design and evaluate dormitory beds, aiming to meet students’ diverse needs while promoting the sustainable development of dormitory furniture. First, demand indicators were identified through interviews and a literature review. The Fuzzy KANO (FKANO) model was used to screen these indicators. Key indicators were then integrated into a network model based on the Analytic Network Process (ANP) to analyze their weights and interdependencies. The Entropy Weight (EW) method was combined to determine the final weights for each indicator. The results show that structural stability, storage capacity, and modular design have the highest weights. Modular design emerged as the core element, with sustainability as the foundational element in the core relationship chain. Based on this, three sustainable, multifunctional wooden dormitory bed designs were proposed. The Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) was used to compare these designs with two popular products, identifying the optimal solution. This model offers a more comprehensive perspective for designing dormitory furniture, providing valuable insights for furniture manufacturers and designers.

For the industrial production of paperboard packaging, knowledge about the process window of the forming operation is crucial information. This study presents how blank moisturization shifts the process window of a compression drawing process. A hydraulic press was utilized to draw circular cups, and their quality was evaluated by counts of defects and wrinkles. The experimental part further includes measurements of the materials’ friction and tensile properties. It was found that both blank moisturization and increased blankholder force increased the wrinkle count and therefore improved the forming quality. However, the combination of high blankholder force and blank moisturization did not lead to superior forming quality. Rather, there were structural defects in the samples. A multilinear regression model was developed to predict wrinkle quantity based on tool temperature, material moisture content, and blankholder force.