Maryam Shirmohammadi

University of South Australia | UniSA · School of Electrical and Information Engineering

The complex structure of timber has traditionally been difficult to model as it is a highly heterogeneous material. The density and material properties for structural species such as Pinus radiata (radiata pine) can vary greatly across the growth rings. Numerical simulation methods are becoming more prevalent as a method of predicting moisture migr...

Resin production in wood tissues is a regular feature of pine wood species, including southern pine. High resin contents of southern pine wood may increase wood resistance against decay fungi. The current study investigated the effect of resin contents in southern pine wood on decay resistance by exposing non-extracted heartwood, mixed wood (sapwoo...

The complex structure of timber has traditionally been difficult to model as it is a highly heterogeneous material. The density (and hence material properties) for structural species such as Pinus radiata (radiata pine) can vary greatly across the growth rings. Numerical simulation methods are becoming more prevalent as a method of predicting moist...

The complex structure of timber has traditionally been difficult to model as it is a highly heterogeneous material. The density and material properties for structural species such as Pinus radiata (radiata pine) can vary greatly across the growth rings. Numerical simulation methods are becoming more prevalent as a method of predicting moisture migr...

The use of engineered wood products and mass timber panels such as cross laminated timber (CLT), glued laminated timber (glulam) and laminated veneer lumber (LVL) is becoming more common, as these products have benefits in terms of environmental credentials and resource utilisation and have the potential to provide faster and more economical constr...

Climate specific cross-laminated timber (CLT) construction detailing to manage moisture risks in subtropical and tropical regions of Australia is validated through experimental testing, statistical analysis, and computational hygrothermal modelling. Three projects in Australia are monitored: a CLT micro-unit built in a subtropical climate, a small...

Southern pine sapwood is non-durable, and preservative treatment is necessary to protect it against biological degradation. According to AS 1604.1 2021, timber products must have their sapwood fully treated with preservatives for various applications and hazard classes. However, there is a growing industry concern over the refractory sections of sa...

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels are commonly used in mass-timber multistorey constructions due to their prefabrication, construction flexibility, environmental credentials and weight-to-strength ratio advantages compared to competing building materials. However, the long-term durability and service life of these mass timber panels require furth...

The durability of engineered wood products (EWPs) is a parameter yet to be fully investigated and understood. This is specifically important for mass timber structures and cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels. The effect of termites and scale of damage on radiata pine sawn boards have been previously investigated. However, the effects of glue line a...

The Australian timber industry generated $23.1b in revenue in 2019–2020, contributing $7.2b to Australia’s gross domestic product. Total Australian timber export in 2019–2020 was estimated at over $3b, with log exports of approximately $650 m. Major export destinations are China, Japan, and New Zealand, with China importing over $1.6b of Australian...

The antimicrobial characteristics of Australian commercial timber species were studied using a direct screening method and two different microorganisms. The effectiveness of timber samples was compared with plastic and paper samples during an incubation period of 24 h at 37 °C. The initial data with E. coli and S. aureus showed no difference in per...

Maintaining almond kernel quality during and after harvest is crucial in producing premium kernel product for Australian and international markets. In this study, we investigated the effects of different post-harvest treatments on changes in moisture content, texture, colour, nutritional profile and flavour of almond kernels over a storage period o...

Gluing is an integral part of the majority of production processes in the timber industry. The effectiveness of adhesive application, glue bond development and glue penetration into the wood structure is becoming more and more important as more structural glued timber products are used in construction and other applications. The continued increase...

This paper summarises the existing literature on water ingress and egress concerns in mass timber products. The main emphasis of this review paper is to identify and present the existing gap in knowledge regarding mass timber products’ water absorption and desorption characteristics in comparison with the information available for solid wood. The p...

The successful manufacturing of glulam from several important Australian commercial timbers is quite challenging due to difficulties in gluing. Improvements in adhesive bond performance of spotted gum, Darwin stringybark, and southern pine timber have been achieved using alternative pre-gluing surface machining methods, e.g., face milling and sandi...

Rosewood species are used around the world in musical instrument component manufacture, most commonly for the use as the guitar fretboard. Due to the overuse of these species, rosewood has been declared an endangered wood necessitating alternatives to be sourced with similar desirable characteristics. Dynamic testing was performed on Australian hig...

Wood permeability has a major effect on industrial wood processing and utilization. Wood anatomy and resin influence the permeability of wood. Understanding and manipulating these influences is important to optimize the manufacture and use of forest products. This study investigated the relationships between wood anatomical traits, radial permeabil...

Australian hardwood species have potential in musical instrumentation replacing hardwood species such as Dalbergia latifolia (Indian rosewood-IRW) which is the main species used in guitar fretboard production. In this study, a detailed characterisation was conducted using dynamic and static testing to determine samples' mechanical strength. Dynamic...

Nuts are harvested in-hull and usually left on the ground or dried on-farm until the moisture content of kernel reduces to optimum processing level. The damages on kernel during and after the harvest due to on-ground exposure to weather and storage in high humidity and high temperature environment can be significant in nut kernels such as almonds a...

Almond fruits are subjected to various mechanical stresses throughout production, from harvest to processing, storage and packaging. Kernel properties play an important role in reducing mechanical damage such as scratches and penetration of shell pieces. Knowledge of kernel properties under various conditions of the fruit can assist in optimising p...

Almonds can be classified based on their shell characteristics from soft to hard shell varieties. The majority of Australian and Californian varieties have soft shell properties. Most Spanish almond varieties have hard shells. Although having a hard sealed shell protects the kernel from insect damage it affects their processability. Common commerci...

Finite element (FE) models of uniaxial loading of pumpkin peel and flesh tissues were developed and validated using experimental results. The tensile model was developed for both linear elastic and plastic material models, the compression model was developed only with the plastic material model. The outcomes of force versus time curves obtained fro...

Enhancing quality of food products and reducing volume of waste during mechanical operations of food industry requires a comprehensive knowledge of material response under loadings. While research has focused on mechanical response of food material, the volume of waste after harvesting and during processing stages is still considerably high in both...

The texture of agricultural crops changes during harvesting, post harvesting and processing stages due to different loading processes. There are different source of loading that deform agricultural crop tissues and these include impact, compression, and tension. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) method is a common way of analysing cellular changes...

In South and Southeast Asia, postharvest loss causes material waste of up to 66% in fruits and vegetables, 30% in oilseeds and pulses, and 49% in roots and tubers. The efficiency of postharvest equipment directly affects industrial-scale food production. To enhance current processing methods and devices, it is essential to analyze the responses of...

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to calculate mechanical properties of tough skinned vegetables as a part of Finite Element Modelling (FEM) and simulation of tissue damage during mechanical peeling of tough skinned vegetables. Design/methodology: There are some previous studies on mechanical properties of fruits and vegetables however, behavi...

Peeling is an essential phase of post harvesting and processing industry; however the undesirable losses and waste rate that occur during peeling stage are always the main concern of food processing sector. There are three methods of peeling fruits and vegetables including mechanical, chemical and thermal, depending on the class and type of fruit....

Abstract Mechanical damages such as bruising, collision and impact during food processing stages diminish quality and quantity of productions as well as efficiency of operations. Studying mechanical characteristics of food materials will help to enhance current industrial practices. Mechanical properties of fruits and vegetables describe how these...