Unit Weight of Pulp Grade Wood Chips

[oengineer]

What is the unit weight of pulp grade wood chips? The wood chips are comprised of shredded hardwood tree species.

Comments/suggestions are appreciated.

 

[phamENG]

To be safe, I'd pull the wet (30% EMC) densities from the NDS and use those. I'm pretty sure that stuff can get packed down pretty tight. Maybe not 'in the tree' tight, but I don't see any real advantage in assuming some value.

 

[JoelTXCive]

Have you tried googling: "unit weight of wood chips"

Are the chips dry or fully saturated. If fully saturated, then you can conservatively add 62.4 pcf to the dry weight.

 

[oengineer]

Have you tried googling: "unit weight of wood chips"

Are the chips dry or fully saturated. If fully saturated, then you can conservatively add 62.4 pcf to the dry weight.

Would the "wood chips" also take into account shredded hardwood tree species?

I would think it would be a good (conservative) idea to assume fully saturated.

To be safe, I'd pull the wet (30% EMC) densities from the NDS and use those.

I did not see shredded hardwood tree species unit weights in the NDS ASD/LRFD National Design Specification ® for Wood Construction 2012 EDITION.

 

[phamENG]

Shredded? No. Because why would there be? Shredded wood doesn't have much structural value.

But Hardwood species...those are in the NDS Supplement.

 

[EdStainless]

You could see if someone like PAPRICAN (pulp and paper research institute of Canada) has some information.

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P.E. Metallurgy, consulting work welcomed

 

[swearingen]

If you can get hold of a CEMA "Belt Conveyors for Bulk Materials" it will have the values used for bulk handling which are pretty well defined. I can't put my hands on my CEMA right now, but if you find even an old one, it would help you.

-5^2 = -25 ;-)

 

[WesternJeb]

I checked on the Belt Conveyors for Bulk Materials for you, it didn't have your specific material. Bark/wood/refuse is 10-20 pcf loose.

The table in Belt Conveyors for Bulk Materials references ANSI/CEMA standard no. 550: Classification and Definitions of Bulk Materials. It classifies over 500 materials in bulk densities. This will likely include whatever specific material you want.

 

[JStephen]

If there is any kind of bin or hopper or conveyor involved, there's a good chance someone either has or will do testing to make sure the material flows right. So density, etc., are really questions that need to get sent back to the end user to confirm.

 

[udraft]

A 2 CF bag of hardwood mulch weights 30-35#

 

[oengineer]

Shredded? No. Because why would there be? Shredded wood doesn't have much structural value.

But Hardwood species...those are in the NDS Supplement.

Where is the information you speak of in the NDS Supplement? What NDS Supplement are you talking about?

 

[phamENG]

The NDS Supplement. That's its name. "NDS Supplement" Link

Though glancing back at mine I realize it is laid out a little differently. I have unit weights...but that's because I wrote them in! Oops. Sorry about that. It does have the data you need to get there, though.

It lists the specific gravity of every structural use tree species. From there, you can back out weights.

Or you can just use google. Where I found this resource in about 2 seconds. Link