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THEME FIREWOOD

The Superpilke The productivity of the 'Superpilke 2000' firewood processor was studied during TTS Institute research. In this firewood processing machine the wood is cross-cut using a spiral or guillotine blade, and log splitting is carried out by a wedge.

ARTO MUTIKAINEN

The length of Superpilke machine conveyor is 3.0 m.

he automatically fed 'Superpilke 2000' machine proved to be an efficient machine for processing wood for heating. In manufacturing firewood logs from spruce and hardwood, productivity was nearly 8 m3/working hour when the average diameter of the wood fed in was 10 cm.

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According to MTT Agrifood Research Finland statistics, there were 2 400 cross-cutting and splitting devices sold in Finland during 2001. These are machines that both cross-cut and split the firewood log. Out of the cross-cutting and splitting machines sold, approximately 700 were firewood shearing machines. In firewood shearing machines the wood is crosscut using a spiral or guillotine blade, and log splitting is carried out by a w e d g e. T h e firew o o d s h ea r in g machines can cross-cut and split stems up to a maximum of 20-22 cm in diameter. Firewood made by firewood shearing machines does not meet the requirements for selling as quality class 1 (see article page 22)

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firewood because the cross-cut surface is not even and straight. Instead, firewood made by firewood shearing machines is suitable as wood for domestic heating.

THE MACHINES ARE STUDIED IN THE NEW TTS INSTITUTE PROJECT A research project 'The Control and Development of the Firewood Log P rod u cti on P roce ss' ha s be e n launched at the TTS Institute and is included in the TEKES technology program on Wood Energy. The subproject "The Productivity, Costs and Development Targets of New Firewood Processing Devices" researches the productivity, quality and costs of new firewood processing machines that are suitable for professional and private use. The work safety and ergonomics of firewood processing machines will also be analysed. Furthermore, suggestions will be made to the device manufacturers on the development of firewood processors.

The research work on the firewood machines were carried out in AprilMay 2002 at Vihti and Ylistaro, Finland. Two hydraulic splitters and eight cross-cutting and splitting devices were researched, of which seven were saw equipped firewood processing machines and one was a shearing firewood machine. The latter was Agromaster Ltd's 'Super-

pilke 2000' firewood processor. This article presents the productivity of the 'Superpilke' machine.

THE 'SUPERPILKE' UNDER RESEARCH The automatically fed 'Superpilke 2000' i s a fi re wood p rocessin g machine which has been on the market for five years. The end of the wood to be processed is set on the feed rollers of the machine, after which the machine then cross-cuts, splits and transports the firewood logs

Superpilke machine cross-cuts, splits and transports automatically firewood logs into a trailer.

ARTO MUTIKAINEN

Kalle K채rh채, Aki Jouhiaho, TTS Finlande

Finland

ARTO MUTIKAINEN

machine efficiently processes firewood for heating

THEME FIREWOOD HIGH PRODUCTIVITY

When the testers fed thicker wood (over 15 cm diameter) into the machine, the wood did not stay between the feed rollers very easily and the testers had to press the wood several times on to the feed rollers.

Feeding problems did not occur with wood below 15 cm in diameter. The 'Superpilke' is suitably efficient as a processing machine for 'heating

The productivity per working hour of the machine in processing spruce and hardwood is shown in the graphic.

The productivity was nearly 8 m 3 per effective hour when the diameter was 10 cm measured at the middle of the tree. The productivity of the machine rises as the diameter of the wood fed in grows. When the diam20

Productivity, m3 / hour

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The tester is lifting wood on to the feed rollers of the 'Superpilke 2000' firewood processor that was researched at Vihti, Finland.

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into a t rai l e r f o r e x a m p le. T h e machine can cut 20 cm diameter wood into maximum 60 cm lengths.

The purchase price of the machine is 5 382 Euros (inc. 22 % VAT).

During the 'Superpilke' research, nearly 30 m3 of wood was processed in total. Some 16 m3 was processed from spruce poles and pulpwood over a year old. The average diameter of the wood was 10 cm, the length 270 cm and the average volume was 18 dm3. In addition, 4,8 m3 of freshly de-limbed spruce and hardwood poles and pulpwood was processed.

In this raw material sample the average diameter of the wood was 9 cm measured at the middle of the

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et er o f t h e w o od i s 15 cm , the working hour productivity is almost 11 m 3 /h. The largest stems that were fed in to the machine during the research were a diameter of 20 and 21 cm. However, these became jammed in the machine. The thickest successfully processed wood had a diameter of 18 cm.

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Effective hourly productivity as a function of the fed wood diameter in the manufacturing of chopped spruce and hardwood to 45 cm lengths.

wood' on farms and also as a machine for common use. However, the machine cannot manufacture quality cla ss 1 fi re wood for sa le ( se e page 22). 5

In processing spruce wood the hourly productivity was 6,9 m3/h, and for p ro ces s in g b irc h pole s i t wa s 6,4 m3/h. An hourly productivity of only 4,1 m3/h was achieved for pro-

Spruce sawmill off-cuts were also processed in the research.

tree, the length was 280 cm and the average volume 20 dm 3. The main wood species was spruce. In addition, 3,6 m3 of spruce sawmill off-cuts were processed. The spruce had been sawn two months prior to research. The firewood logs were cross-cut to lengths of 45 cm.

The study also included 2,3 m3 of f re s h b i rc h p o l e s t h a t w e re processed into 33 cm lengths. The a v e r a g e d i a m e t e r o f t h e b i rc h poles was 11 cm, the length 300 cm and the average volume was 29 dm 3. There were two 40 years old lumberjacks operating as testers in the research.

cessing the spruce sawmill off-cuts.

The number of waste splinters in w o o d cut t in g w a s re d u ce d to 0,1 m3/working hour when chopping p o les a n d p ulpwood , a nd to 0,2 m3/effective hour when chopping sawmill off-cuts.

ARTO MUTIKAINEN

With this machine, the productivity can reach 11 m3/h.

The machine only handled wood for 38 % of the effective time when processing spruce and hardwood. The machine ran empty for the majority of the effective time because the testers could not feed the wood as fast as it worked, even though the testers carried out their work speedily a n d t h e d is t a nce be twe e n the machine and stacks was only 1-2 m.

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