Abstract: Strand dimension of selected strands in a layup of strands is determined by obtaining a pixel image, analyzing the pixel image to define candidate strands to be measured and their location within the image and reprocessing the image to find the opposite end points of the candidate strands and their end edges by finding areas of appropriate dimension and substantially free of edge pixels to define a strand to be examined ("magic" strand) and then determining the length and/or width of the "magic" strand.

Abstract: The orientation of strands relative to a selected axis is determined by analyzing a digitized grey scale image to select edge pixels therefrom that may define the edges of strands segmenting the image into a plurality of subimages and processing one of the subimages by defining pixel lines merging the pixel lines to form lines and culling selected one of the lines in the subimage. The subimage is then combined to co-terminus other of the subimages to form a combined subimage which is processed in the same manner by merging pixel lines to form lines and culling selected line in the combined subimage. This process is repeated by combining further subimages and processing until substantially all of the image has been processed to provide the plurality of strand lines defining strand edges and then determining the orientation of the strand lines relative to the axis.

Abstract: Consolidated composite wood products are produced by waferizing wet wood to produce wet green strands and processing the wet green strands by application of adhesive and formation of a lay-up mat for consolidation prior to drying. The lay-up mat is dried in mat form under conditions that maintain the applied adhesive to condition it for the subsequent consolidation step wherein heat and pressure are applied to form a consolidated composite wood product. Preferably, the mat will be formed by orienting the strands to have their longitudinal axes substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the product and then the product will be remaned to produce lumber products with the longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the product.

Abstract: Strand lay-up system produces a layered strand lay-up from separate feed bins and then deposits incremental lengths of the so formed layered lay-up over discrete selected area to form a more homogenous lay-up.

Abstract: A system for coupling synthetic boomsticks having a pair of spaced parallel substantially horizontal coupling flanges projecting axially therefrom. The flanges form a loop receiving space therebetween and a coupling pin passes through this space between the flanges to lock a loop therein. The coupling pin is lockable in closed position to hold loop in place. A coupling pin and slot prevents rotation of the coupling pin except when the coupling pin is in retracted open position.

Abstract: A system for detecting web flutter of a web leaving a nip utilizes a proximity of sensor preferably a plurality of proximity sensors arranged transversely of the web to locally measure the distance between the web and the sensors at a distance no greater close to the nip so that the proximity sensor determines roll the web is following leaving the nip in each area sensed by each detector so that this information may be used to monitor or control the coating system.

Abstract: A fiber-cement trim board is formed by a fiber-cement core layer faced with a pair of fiber-cement surface layers of substantially equal thickness in the core layer and have a cement-to-wood ratio by weight of between 2 and 3.5 and at least 70% of the wood strands have a length longer than 10 min. Each of the surface layers is formed of a fiber-cement mixture containing wood strands, at least 80% of which have a length of less than 4 mm and a cement-to-wood ratio by weight of between 2 and 3.5. The board is covered at least on the two main faces by a water barrier coating.

Abstract: A bleached pulp having a high viscosity for a given permanganate number is formed by pretreating never dried pulp with an organic solvent medium to produce a treated pulp composed of said never dried pulp in the medium and then bleaching that treated pulp using ozone at a pH of 1.5-5 to provide a bleached pulp while reducing the viscosity loss during the ozone bleaching step significantly compared to that what would occur if the medium used in the ozone bleaching were water.

Abstract: A strand orienter formed by a plurality of substantially planar parallel partition walls further includes a plurality of shafts extending substantially perpendicular to the partition walls, each mounting wipers in the passages in position to wipe strands that may tend to plug the orienter from the passages and off the upper edges of the partition walls over substantially the full length of these upper edges and thereby prevent plugging of the orienter.

Abstract: An improved oxygen bleaching process wherein the pulp is bleached in an aqueous organic medium wherein a polyhydric alcohol constitutes between 10 and 70% by weight of the medium to produce a pulp having a viscosity at least 2.5 cp higher than a similar pulp bleached using the same conditions in an aqueous atmosphere to the same kappa no. of 8 ml.

Abstract: A metering rod type coating applicator is provided with a metering rod having its peripheral surfaced texture to a texture in a range of Ra 0.06 to Ra 1.6 to improve the application of coating to a moving surface and permit uniform coating application using higher solids content coatings and/or lower coat weights. Preferably, the rod will be rotated at a speed significantly higher than that conventionally used and preferably with a peripheral velocity in the range of about 15 to 20 m/min.

Abstract: Cellulosic pulps are bleached with ozone in an ozone bleaching stage in an aqueous medium containing an additive in an effective amount not exceeding 5% weight concentration of the aqueous medium. The additive is selected from a group consisting of N-alkylated ureas, N-alkylated lactams and N-alkylated amides. pH in the Z stage is operated under conventional ozone bleaching conditions, but preferably at high consistency and at low temperature, below 5.degree. C.

Abstract: First pass filler retention is obtained by adding a cationic fixative into a filler containing pulp slurry which is also treated using the conventional polyethylene oxide/promoter retention system and as a result a significant increase in the first pass retention of filler is attained.

Abstract: A process for bleaching pulp by impregnating the pulp with an aqueous organic solvent medium and then bleaching in an ozone stage (Z stage) to form a bleached pulp characterized in that organic solvent in the organic solvent medium accompanying the pulp through the ozone stage is neutralized and stripped from the bleached pulp leaving the ozone stage and the separated organic solvent is recovered for reuse.

Abstract: A printing system having a plurality of printing stations in series is provided with a web width sensor system that detects the change in width of a paper web by monitoring the position of both edges of the sheet after it leaves a printing station to determine the change in position of each side edge and thereby the change in width of the web.

Abstract: A pulp furnish containing predominantly wood-containing fibers (mechanical) and natural calcium carbonate as a filler is formed into a paper in a paper forming section of a paper machine at a neutral pH in the range of 6.7 to 7.5. Bentonite plus a suitable polymer such as a polyacrylamide produces a pulp stock that has exceptionally high drainage characteristics particularly when used with chalk as the filler. The pH of the stock in the headbox is maintained at the desired level of pH 6.7-7.3 by monitoring the pH in the headbox and adjusting the flow of pH reducing and buffering agent, preferably phosphoric acid, into the pulp prior to the headbox to obtain the desired pH in the stock.

Abstract: An improved duplex linerboard is formed from old corrugated containers (OCC) by first repulping the OCC and screening it to provide a fine fraction and a coarse fraction. NaHSO.sub.3 or H.sub.2 O.sub.2 is applied to the fine fraction and the fine fraction produce a chemically treated fine fraction which is then refined. Coarse fraction is separately refined and the refined coarse fraction pulp is then used to form the bottom ply of a multi-ply board and the refined fine fraction pulp used to form the top ply of the multiply board.

Abstract: The load on a refiner motor is controlled by adjusting the motor load setpoint by monitoring load applied by the refiner and the plate gap between the refiner plates to define the curve of the load versus plate gap relationship. This slope of load versus plate gap relationship is estimated and when the sign of the slope of the curve changes sign indicating operation in an unstable zone of pad collapse and based on the tendency for the refiner to be in the unstable operation zone over a selected period of time exceeding a preset limit adjusting the setpoint lower to approach more closely the maximum load applied over the selected time.

Abstract: An orienter is formed by a plurality of decks including a upper deck, a bottom deck and at least one intermediate deck stacked one above the other, substantially vertically extending passages are defined in each of the decks, the width of the passages of the bottom deck is preselected to a width Y.sub.B sufficiently small to ensure the orientation of the strands to the desired mean orientation and relative to a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the width have passages measured. The width of the passages above the lower deck are made progressively larger in accordance with the following formula: 2.sup.n-1 Y.sub.B where n is the number of decks above the mat and Y.sub.B is the width of the passages through the bottom deck. The side passages in all the decks are substantially aligned vertically, with both the passages in the top deck bisected in two equal passages in the deck immediately therebelow.

Abstract: Lubricant is applied to the rolls of the size press to lubricate the rolls prior to moving the coating heads into their coating position by substantially simultaneously applying a lubricating film to each of the rolls of the size press in stripes symmetrically positioned relative to the center line of the web passing through the size press to in stages symmetrically relative to the axis of the web substantially equally increase the surface area of the roll to which the lubricating film is applied until the full surface corresponding to the full width of the web on each of the rolls is lubricated and then a metering rod type coating head apply coating to each of the size press rolls are simultaneously moved into coating position.