Assessment of work quality of a combined saw and splitter processor

The growing interest about wood as fuel regards not only wood chips and pellets but also firewood, especially in mountain and rural areas where domestic heating plants are widely used. Due to the increased national market demand of firewood, harvesting activities have extended on broadleaved high forests as well as coppice. As consequence the diameter of logs has increased requiring larger and larger splitting machines; nowadays it is not uncommon to find on the market splitters able to process logs with diameter up to 50-60 cm. In order to enhance the productivity, the effort of machine producers is directed to obtain the complete splitting of the log into firewood in only one step using multiple ways splitting knives. This technical solution may cause some drawbacks especially when the splitting knives are not properly adapted to the log diameter; it happens that the size of firewood is not homogeneous and some splinters are produced, which require to use screens to separate them from the main product. In order to evaluate the work quality of a combined saw and splitter processor, equipped with a multiple ways splitting knives, an experimental test has been carried out using a machine in which the log diameter is automatically detected through a laser device; according to the log diameter the multiple ways splitting knives (formed by fixed and mobile knives, the latter hydraulically operated) is properly set up to obtain regular sized firewood. Furthermore the log is automatically centered respect the splitting knives. The results of the experimental test showed that, independently from the log diameter, the combined saw and splitter processor is able to produce firewood with homogeneous size and with a low production of splinters