Source: FORMOLOGY, INC. submitted to NRP
DECORATIVE ARCHITECTURAL PANELS FROM AGRICULTURAL BYPRODUCTS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
SMALL BUSINESS GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1025802
Grant No.
2021-33530-34471
Cumulative Award Amt.
$98,132.00
Proposal No.
2021-01160
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Jul 1, 2021
Project End Date
Mar 31, 2023
Grant Year
2021
Program Code
[8.8]- Biofuels and Biobased Products
Recipient Organization
FORMOLOGY, INC.
5757 SW MACADAM AVE # 140
PORTLAND,OR 972393787
Performing Department
Formology, Inc.
Non Technical Summary
This project is in response to the USDA NIFA priority of developing biobased products. Formology specializes in the innovation, manufacture, commercialization, and sale of specialty wood and natural fiber panels for architecture and design/build markets; and would like to meet the demands of the architecture and design (A&D) industries for environmentally sustainable and responsible product options. Building on the preliminary work in collaboaration with Washington State University on resin transfer molding (RTM) of agricluture residues, we will conduct further research to scale-up the manufacturing process to produce thick 4 ft by 8 ft panels with mechanical performance, dimensional stability, and high-quality surface finish required for decorative architectural panels. Four tasks to achieve this objective are to: design and fabricate a large-size aluminum mold, determine a protocol to consisently build a binder-less hazelnut shell preform within the mold cavity, evaluate and establish ideal resin infusion parameters, and manufacture large-size panels and evaluate their performance.Proposed solution will produce strong, stiff, dimensionally stable, and aesthecially pleasing panels using agricultural byproducts and provide Formology new business opportunities. Additionally, utilization of agricultural waste streams, such as hazelnut shells, to produce higher value products will not only have environmental benefits of reduced burden on landfills and carbon storage but will also lead to new opportunities for tree nut growers and processors. We anticipate the RTM panels to be at a medium price range so we can offer performance and aesthetic advantages while beating out many higher priced materials.
Animal Health Component
50%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
50%
Developmental
50%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
40312103110100%
Knowledge Area
403 - Waste Disposal, Recycling, and Reuse;

Subject Of Investigation
1210 - Filbert;

Field Of Science
3110 - Art and architecture;
Goals / Objectives
In this project we will be utilizing hazelnut shell byproduct and producing decorative architectural panels for interior design applications. The objective of this study is to build on the lab-scale work and scale-up the process to produce thick (0.5 to 0.75 inches) 4ft by 8ft panels that can consistently deliver the required performance of strength and stiffness, dimensional stability, and high-quality finish required for decorative architectural panels. Following are the tasks formulated to achieve this objective:Task 1: Based on the preliminary work on small-scale mold, design and fabricate a large all-metal mold tool to infuse thick preforms of hazelnut shells with resin and cure the resin.Task 2: Determine a consistent method to build a binder-less preform of hazelnut shells within the cavity of the mold.Task 3: Evaluate and establish ideal resin flow and curing parameters to fill and wet the preform uniformly and produce a high quality decorative architectural panel.Task 4: Resin transfer mold commercial size hazelnut shell decorative architectural panels and evaluate their performance.
Project Methods
The efforts undertaken to complete the project include:1. Design and fabrication of a large all-metal tool to resin transfer mold hazelnut shell preforms.Based on the preliminary experiments and observations from producing panels using the smaller mold, a new mold tool to produce larger panels (8 feet by 4 feet) will be designed. The overall length and width of the mold tool will be approximately 9.5 feet by 5.5 feet to accommodate for a preform cavity that produces a finished panel of 8ft by 4ft. Mold will be designed such that no bolts would be necessary to bring the top and bottom halves together into a third-piece that is a metal frame with entry and exit ports for resin to flow in and out of the preform. Clamping mechanism will be used to apply adequate pressure to ensure all parts are in close contact without any leaks. Grooves on the periphery of top and bottom plates will be machined to install O-rings to ensure a tight seal all around, resulting in a complete vacuum inside the mold. The inlet and outlet ports will be along the long dimension of the mold frame such that resin flow is in the direction of the shorter dimension. There will be two resin wells connected to the ports to allow a reservoir of resin to build prior to flowing through the preform. A 2-inch mold made of Aluminum Alloy 2014-T6 would be sufficient to keep the maximum deflection at the center of the plate to a minimum considering a safety factor of three. This deflection will be further restricted due to external clamping system that will be used to shut the three pieces of mold airtight. Commonly used mold releases will be used to ensure that the cured panel can be easily removed from the mold. A pressure pot will be used to degas the resin as well as pump the resin into the mold through the preform. This effort would enable a manufacturer such as Formology to produce commercial size decorative panels using natural fiber waste streams. A measure of success would be the ease with which the mold can be used to infuse hazelnut preform with resin.2. Develop a method to form a binderless preform in the mold cavity for subsequent resin infusion. Since particle size would influence the packing efficiency within the mold, we will investigate the affects of hazelnut shell particle size on packing efficiency. The objective would be to achieve maximum packing efficiency within the mold cavity. Bulk density and surface roughness of the finished panels will be the two metrics used to determine ideal packing efficiency. Highest bulk density will lead to maximum fiber volume fraction within the panel.3. Using the mold designed and fabricated and knowledge gained from determining ideal packing efficiency, we will manufacture panels by infusing hazelnut shell preforms with appropriate resins. Process will be monitored to minimize the time it would take to produce a panel of acceptable quality. Panels will be tested for their mechanical and physical properties to assess their performance and marketability. Efforts will also include determining ideal processing parameters, such as resin injection pressures and vacuum times. Evaluation of properties and surface quality of the end product will give us a measure of our efforts.4. Lastly, a step-by-step production instructions will be developed to enable anyone at Formology to manufacture a panel using the develped equipment. Quality control measures will be established to ensure production of acceptable decorative panels.

Progress 07/01/21 to 03/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience:The Architecture and Designindustry isthe target market and audience for the unique panel products we have demonstrated through our Phase 1 grant. Subsequently it is also their clients who will benefit from the availability of these new materials in the building and construction market. Their clients include everything from homeowners needing countertops or cabinets, commercial companies needing desktops for their employees, hospitals looking for attractive and durable wall coverings, hospitality needing furnishings for their rooms, common areas or restaurants, and more. Through Phase 1 we have designed and fabricated a prototype mould capable of producing industry standard 4' x 8' size panels made from agricultural byproducts such as Hazelnut Shells. These panels can be used easily by any qualified fabricator to create furninshings of many types for use in many applications. constantly in need of new, attractive, durable, and sustainable materials to specify for use in their design projects. Currently they have very limited panel options in this regard. There are very few materials made from agricultural byproducts in general and almost none with a high percentage of this byproduct while offering excellent structural performance, moisture resistance, dimensional stability, and aesthetic value. Our research through Phase II will continue the success of Phase I in bringing to market a line of beautiful, unique, strong and highly sustainable panels which can be specified in many applications including wall and ceiling panels, cabinets, furniture, tabletops, flooring and more. Changes/Problems:In the process of producing a prototype panel using the metal mould, the following issues were determined that need to be overcome in Phase 2: 1 - Hazelnut Shell particle packing in the mould cavity has to be sufficiently packed to uniform density, such that there is no paricle displacement during the resin infusion process. 2 - We need to explore resins of varying viscosities to ensure that a panel is consistently filled and no starved spots are present. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A master's student worked on project designing the mould and producing prortype panels using vacuum bagging and metal mould. A post doctoral research associate was also involved in the project in designing the metal mould and mentoring the master's student. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The decorative architectural panels created through our Phase 1 research and development have been shared with Architects and Designers by way of email campaigns, presentations, physical samples and tradeshow appearances (Hospitality and Design Expo).Through these outreach avenues we have introduced the new product line and educated prospective customers as to the merits and benefits of specifying and utlizing them in upcoming construction and decor projects. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The following was accomplished through our work in Phase 1: Task 1: Based on the preliminary work on small-scale mold, design and fabricate a large all-metal mold tool to infuse thick preforms of hazelnut shells with resin and cure the resin.An all metal mold tool was successfully designed and fabricated to produce panels as specified in our Phase 1 goals. We were able to produce 4' x 8' x 1/2" prototype panel as expected in this new tool. Task 2: Determine a consistent method to build a binder-less preform of hazelnut shells within the cavity of the mold.Panels made from Salvaged Hazelnut Shells were able to be consistently producedat 1/2" thickness through our research in Phase 1. A method for packing the material efficiently and effectively was developed. Task 3: Evaluate and establish ideal resin flow and curing parameters to fill and wet the preform uniformly and produce a high quality decorative architectural panel.Ideal resin flow and curing parameters were continually evaluated and refined during the course of Phase 1 work and this work will continue in Phase 2in effort to fully optimize these important aspects of panel production. This will help us to identify ideal resin types and their viscocities. Task 4: Resin transfer mold commercial size hazelnut shell decorative architectural panels and evaluate their performance.We successfully produced commercial sized (4' x 8') decorative hazelnut shell prototype paneland determined some parameters ofperformance. Phase 2 work will continue on this research to include specific structural testing from multiple commercial sized panels.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Nay, C. 2022. The art of the upscale: Nut shell waste is becoming decorative. National Nut Grower, May/June 2022:14-15.


Progress 07/01/21 to 02/28/22

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience forthe Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding Hazelnut Shall Panels is the interior Architecture and Design industry. These professionals are in constant need for new, unique, beautiful and sustainable materials for specification into new and remodeled buildings. Changes/Problems:Please see attached detailed progress report document. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Opportunities for training and professional development have been opened for both the manufacturing and sales ends of the Hazelnut Shell Panels. New fabrication techniques and designs for equipment have been explored and, in some cases, refined which can be taught to future manufacturing employees of this product line. Furthermore, understandings and initial physical properties/aesthetics have been achieved which can be passed along to Formology's sales organization for introduction and presentation of the Hazelnut Shell Panels to the Architecture and Design industry. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Mold design prepared thus far have been presented by PI, Dirk Wallace, to his industry investors to keep them abreast of the progress. Their feedback has been passed on to WSU researchers to incorporate into the mold design. In addition, WSU has a press release out regarding the project and its significance to general public (https://news.cahnrs.wsu.edu/article/hazelnut-shells-get-new-life-as-strong-sustainable-panels/). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next reporting period we plan to complete the mold design and fabricate the mold to produce 4ft by 8ft hazelnut panels. In addition, we will also conduct some basic resin flow analysis work to ensure that end product is properly filled with resin and understand the production times for resin transfer molding the hazelnut composite panels. Prototype panels will also be manufactured using the mold.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Based on the preliminary work conducted prior to the project being funded, a 4ft by 8ft mold is being designed using SolidWorks. The attached report by the researchers at WSU outlines what has been accomplished under these goals.

Publications