FPRDI Testing Lab Helps Construction and Wood-based Clients
February 17, 2012
For 55 years now, the DOST Forest Products Research and Development Institute has been helping players in the construction and wood-based industries test how strong their materials are and how fit these are for different uses and conditions.
Thru its Physics and Mechanics Testing Laboratory, FPRDI evaluates the physical and strength properties of concrete hollow blocks, concrete cylinder, pallets, lumber and non-wood forest products such as bamboo and rattan.
“Our clients ask us to assess their products as a requirement of their buyers. We base our tests on international standards that include the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), and use modern equipment to ensure that we offer the best service to our customers,” says Ms. Elvina O. Bondad, Chief of the Physics and Mechanics Section. “The test results will tell buyers whether or not their materials are suitable for their intended purposes.”
“For instance, our physical properties tests on lumber can give clients an idea on how much moisture is in their wood and whether or not the wood will tend to shrink or expand. We can also tell the material’s specific end-use by determining how dense it is. Usually, the denser wood has higher quality and more high-end uses.”
“Our strength properties tests, on the other hand, can tell clients about the suitability of materials for structural purposes and other end-uses. They can give an idea, for instance, how much load the materials can carry and whether or not these can resist being deformed or crushed by such loads, ” added Bondad.
FPRDI’s Physics and Mechanics Testing Laboratory’s clientele includes some of the biggest names in the construction, furniture, and packaging industry such as MATIMCO Incorporated, Tollways Management Corporation, Lepanto Consolidated Mining Incorporated, Arctic-Forest Products Incorporated, Koppers Wood Products Pty Ltd, Central Lumber Corporation, Macro Industrial Packaging Products Corporation, Container Board & Packaging Company Incorporated, AGM Ventures Enterprises Incorporated, Franklin Baker, Star Paper Corporation, and Sprint Export Paper Packaging Corporation.
The section is also tapped by various universities to assist their Civil Engineering, Architecture, and Forestry students. Academic clients include the University of the Philippines Los Baños, University of Santo Tomas, Technological University of the Philippines, Mariano Marcos State University, and Batangas State University. # (Maybell Mariella A. Amador, 16 February 2012)
