Search Results (3)

In the upcoming years, it is expected that more furniture will be built from honeycomb panels due to the growing demand for lightweight, long-lasting furnishings. High-density fiberboard (HDF), previously used in the furniture industry as back walls in box furniture or drawer components, has become a popular facing material used in the production of honeycomb core panels. Varnishing the facing sheets of lightweight honeycomb core boards with the use of analog printing technology and UV lamps is a challenge for the industry. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of selected varnishing parameters on coating resistance by experimentally testing 48 coating variants. It was found that the interactions between the following variables were crucial in achieving adequate resistance: lamp power, the amounts of varnish applied, and the number of layers. The highest scratch, impact, and abrasion resistance values were observed for samples with optimal curing provided by more layers and maximum curing with 90 W/cm lamps. Based on the pareto chart, a model was generated that predicted the optimal settings for the highest scratch resistance. Resistance to cold liquids made with a colorimeter increases with lamp power. Full article

A key feature of varnish coatings on furniture surfaces is their optical properties, which often determine customers’ purchase choices. Furniture may be produced using various boards, which are much cheaper than wood-based materials. For their finishing, among others, UV-cured varnish products are used. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different types of HDF boards, the amount of basecoat and topcoat applied, the number of layers, and the different lamp powers used for hardening on the gloss of coatings obtained using UV technology. The gloss was tested with a photoelectric apparatus. An auxiliary parameter in the assessment of the gloss of the coatings was the surface roughness, which was measured with the Mitutoyo SJ-210 Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to obtain the results. Statistical considerations showed that the amount of topcoat applied, the power of the lamps, and the interactions between them had the greatest impact on gloss, followed by the number of layers. In general, the gloss of the coating decreased with a decrease in lamp power in the range of 120–60 W/cm and with an increase in the amount of topcoat applied. Full article

Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant with human health and ecological impacts. Gas exchange between terrestrial surfaces and the atmosphere is an important route for Hg to enter and exit ecosystems. Here, we used a dynamic flux chamber to measure gaseous elemental Hg (GEM) exchange over different landscapes in Mississippi, including in situ measurements for a wetland (soil and water), forest floor, pond, mowed field and grass-covered lawn, as well as mesocosm experiments for three different agricultural soils. Fluxes were measured during both the summer and winter. Mean ambient levels of GEM ranged between 0.93–1.57 ng m⁻³. GEM emission fluxes varied diurnally with higher daytime fluxes, driven primarily by solar radiation, and lower and more stable nighttime fluxes, dependent mostly on temperature. GEM fluxes (ng m⁻² h⁻¹) were seasonally dependent with net emission during the summer (mean 2.15, range 0.32 to 4.92) and net deposition during the winter (−0.12, range −0.32 to 0.12). Total Hg concentrations in the soil ranged from 17.1 ng g⁻¹ to 127 ng g⁻¹ but were not a good predictor of GEM emissions. GEM flux and soil temperature were correlated over the forest floor, and the corresponding activation energy for Hg emission was ~31 kcal mol⁻¹ using the Arrhenius equation. There were significant differences in GEM fluxes between the habitats with emissions for grass > wetland soil > mowed field > pond > wetland water ≈ forest ≈ agriculture soils. Overall, we demonstrate that these diverse landscapes serve as both sources and sinks for airborne Hg depending on the season and meteorological factors. Full article