The Role Played by the Rake Angle of a Strander-Canter When Processing Jack Pine Logs

Abstract

The optimization of the machining parameters of strander-canting is the best way to obtain the optimum strand size, a better quality of the cant surface, and lower energy consumption. The effect of the rake angle on the performance of a strander-canter when processing jack pine logs was evaluated. Thirty-nine logs were cut with three rake angles (59°, 64°, and 69°). The counter-knife angle used in this study was 20° for frozen logs and 35° for unfrozen logs. The cutting speed and width were fixed at 25 m/s and 20 mm, respectively. The results showed that the rake angle affected the strand width, strand proportion, and energy requirements to transform the logs under frozen conditions. The rake angle of 64° produced a higher proportion and larger strands with less energy consumption than the rake angle of 59°. However, using a rake angle of 64° produced poorer surface quality. On the other hand, the effect of the rake angle on the processing of unfrozen logs was only noticeable when the rake angle changed to 69°. The proportion of pin chips increased, and the surface quality became poorer as the rake angle changed from 59° to 69°. The rake angle did not affect energy consumption when transforming the logs under unfrozen conditions.

Keywords

• strander-canter
• rake angle
• strand geometry
• surface quality
• energy consumption