Wood welding is a wood assembling method without the use of adhesive. This process, received in 2005 the Schweigohfer European award, category innovation in the wood industry. Since that time there were continuous researches on this process. Soudabois, first ANR project (2007-2010), highlighted the weldable character of every wood species, identified operational techniques, optimized the welding cycles and improved understand and knowledge about the chemical and physical wood welding process. Until 2010 the main weakness of wood welding technology was the bad strength to moisture of the welded joint. Research conducted by the LERMAB and INRA highlighted that some wood species had welded joint resistant to moisture. This discovery initiated a new patented welding process with a moisture resistant seal. This new process involves treating the surface before welding with a biobased additive (ex: rosin). This treatment creates a protective shell around the welded joint. So far, tests have been performed on a limited number of species with the implementation of a single additive. An additional lack of knowledge, beyond the strength to moisture, is the mechanical wood welding evolution and durability in outdoor conditions. This is a constant request from companies interested in this new technology. The heterogeneous nature of wood material suggests that the optimum welding cycle can be different even with parts extracted in the same wood board. It is important to analyze the sensitivity of some parameters related to the heterogeneity in order to industrialize wood welding (density, tree ring widths, sapwood or heartwood, etc.). It is necessary to look further real-time automation of the welding cycle with a feedback according to measured parameters. First ANR project Soudabois had initiated the possibility of a real time control of the welding gas emitted during welding. The project SOUDABOIS II is planned for 36 months, and it involves two laboratories, a technical center and a company. The project is based on two efficient wood welding processes (rotational and linear friction) and its purposes are: • Study, characterization, understanding and optimization of moisture resistant welding applied to several wood species: natural or treated wood for external uses, natural water repellent wood, mixed welding; • Study, characterization, understanding and optimizing the mechanical durability of the wood welding; • Study impacts of wood variability on welding performance and possibility of developing real-time automation servo welding. The knowledge and skills developed by laboratories LERMAB and IS2M on these materials and processes are the scientific basements of the project. CRITT Bois, resource center for wood industries, will coordinate the project and the industrial company BURGER will orientate and keep the focus on potential economic applications.

Cogeneration - Combined Heat and Power generation by gas micro-turbine (micro-CHP) - is a very progressive industrial and ecological concept, since it can reach a very high efficiency up to 90%, and greatly minimize CO2 and NOX emission. Metals are currently used in gas micro-turbine applications, as their thermal, mechanical and dymanic characteristics are well known. However, metals are approaching their limit with respect to maximum operating temperature, and alternatives are being sought. To fully reveal its potentials, CHP turbine shall operate at very high temperature, about 1350°. The use of metallic materials is therefore no more possible and ceramic material must be considered. Ceramics present a promising alternative as they are generally lighter and having considerably higher strength at high temperatures, better refractory and corrosion-resistance than metals. Ceramic gas turbine can run at temperatures up to 1370°C compared to about 700°C of all-metal turbines. That is why ceramic turbines can achieve 30-40% greater efficiency than all-metal turbines. If high-temperature ceramics were incorporated through-out gas turbines in the electricity generation sector, 1.4 quads of energy could be saved annually (Data of U.S. Department of Energy, 2010). This Project aims to develop an innovative apparatus for low-power cogeneration of heat and electrical energy (2.0 kW power) operating with gaseous fuels such as natural gas or propane and adaptable to other fuels in the future. Within this system, the electricity will be produced by a micro-ceramic turbine driving an electric generator integrated into a rotating assembly mounted on gas bearings. Targeted outcomes are an electrical efficiency of about 28% to 30%. Miniaturised electric generator of original design will meet these technical specifications as well as safety requirements for electric devices. A total return (electricity + heat) is targeted close to 90% due to ceramic heat ecxhanger. Along with this, micro-CHP apparatus will feature extremely low pollution levels thanks to ceramic combustion chamber of a specific design. The Project propose radically innovative “integrated design- and manufacturing” approach to manufacture micro-CHP apparatus, since the straight-forward attempts for miniarturisation / ceramisation of metallic turbines have clearly shown their uselessness. To make a real step-forward in micro-CHP, the Project aims is to combine (i) innovative ceramic engineering powders specially tailored for high-temperature mecanical applications; (ii) a newly developed design of micro-turbines: helical internal channels that will replace classical miniaturized blades in the turbines; (iii) Selective Laser Sintering as manufacturing technolology as it is the unique currently existing production process allowing complex customised ceramic parts with controlled external and internal geometry. Two prototypes of cogeneration apparatus will be delivered and comprehensivelly characterised for their performance. An engineering study of micro-CHP implementation itno domestic heater will be also accomplished taking into account the existing relevant technical / explitation / safety reglamentations. A functional prototype of domestic cogenerator will be realised and tested in the industrial test-bench by project partner SILENE.

France has Europe's largest hardwood forest but the wood construction market is supplied mainly softwood. The pressure on the resinous resource, increasing the market for timber construction in France and local hardwood resource available logically grow stakeholders in the timber industry to reflect and begin to implement these species in buildings. Eurocodes and European standards associated are built on the experiences and research on conifers. Optimization of hardwood timber structures can only be achieved by redefining the same parameters and properties for hardwood. The EFEUR5 program (Structural Behavioral of French Hardwood Wood species for their better integration Eurocodes 5) gets this goal and this ambition. The program, focused on the species of oak, beech and poplar, species with the greatest potential, is based on the pooling of the most experienced research teams in terms of wooden structures. This project aims to develop tools and knowledge necessary for the marketing of products based on structural French hardwoods. The aim is to mobilize the use of these species for timber structures justified according to Eurocode 5 through validation rules or the corrections of the rules. Although few studies on some hardwood species exist, they must be complemented by new scientific and experimental data. Several uncertainties are to raise, including: - Knowledge of the long-term behavior of hardwood species; - Knowledge of mechanical properties called secondary hardwood species proprerties ; - The definition of calculation models for assemblies of hardwood pieces; - Anticipation of mechanical properties : knowledge of the impact of the development of the tree on the properties of the material link between anatomy and physics. The EFEUR5 project is planned for 48 months. It is based on knowledge and scientific skills developed on the wood material and wooden structures by french laboratories (LERMAB, GEMH, LMGC and LERFOB). The technology transfer center (CRITT Bois) will coordinate this project, will prepare the transfer of project results, and will guide the work for major economic opportunities for the timber industry.

The research project "CoolWood" aims to develop an innovative conservation of wood material for optimum support of its quality during storage and thus enabling new modes of organization in the forest / wood industry. The quality of raw and processed wood is constantly challenged by attacks of biological origin. In the absence of conservation measures, the woods become unsuitable for most technological uses after a period depending on the species and weather conditions, they can lose up to their full market value. Maintaining the quality of wood during storage is therefore a key issue, as part of "normal" functioning of the forest / wood industries but also in situations of emergency following storms or forest epidemics. Although the last major storms in France in 1999 and 2010 respectively have landed 140 million and 40 million m3 of windthrow (trees blown over). The general principle of protection of the woods is the realization of conditions minimizing the development of wood-destroying organisms by chemical treatment or by acting on the wood moisture content, oxygen content of the atmosphere or ambient temperature. The effect of temperature on the preservation of wood, although it is recognized, has never been seriously explored systematically on a scientific viewpoint. Its technological implementation has never been studied. In response to this gap and in order to achieve the definition of an operational prototype, the objective of the research project "CoolWood" is, through a program lasting 43 months, to validate the feasibility Scientific method of preservation of logs by controlling the temperature and humidity and then design an industrial process optimized technically, economically and environmentally, to evaluate its performance and its preparation for future implementation through to an industrial prototype. This work is underpinned by a patent that one of the project partners filed on an innovative wood preservative during storage by temperature control. Our process meets the needs of structuring the forest / wood industry, industrial needs by improving product quality and also to societal needs in crisis situations. It can replace existing processes that remain generally unreliable for certain pollutants or heavy users of water resources. The sustainable development aspect is thus a strong component in the project. Finally the economic aspect is also very present in the benefits of this process, particularly through industrial competitiveness gains expected and the contribution that the process can make to the objective of increasing logging initiated by French government (increased wood mobilization Forest + 60% of the volume between 2009 and 2020).