Title:	Associate Professor of Wood Products Engineering
	Phone:	814-865-5722
	Email:	jjj2@psu.edu
	Address:	The Pennsylvania State University School of Forest Resources 208 Forest Resources Building University Park, PA 16802

 

 

Education:

B.S., University of Illinois (1979)

M.S., University of Illinois (1981)

Ph.D., Washington State University (1989)

Academic Interests:

Wood products processing and manufacturing; wood composite material systems; wood structural applications; wood composite performance characteristics and related material evaluation methodologies

Courses Taught:

Wood Products Manufacturing Systems and Processes; Wood Deterioration and Protection; Wood in Structures; Wood Composite Processing Parameters

Professional Affiliation:

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM); Forest Products Society (FPS); Society of Wood Science and Technology (SWST)

Recent Research/Educational Projects:

 Development of Hardwood Glulam Timber Bridge Standards

This project involves highway-rated bridges applying local under-utilized forest resources. Many highway and other rural bridges must be repleced to maintain the transportation infrastructure. Project outcomes have included development of standard design construction plans with specifications that cover 18-90 foot span bridge structures. Structural designs are based on hardwood glued-laminated (glulam) timbers. Project efforts have shown that less desirable hardwood for appearance market end-uses may be effectively fabricated into high performance glulam for bridge and other structural applications. Current project activities include development of glulam deck plans for rehabilitation of steel girder bridge superstructures. Other efforts include bridge plan conversion from ASD (Allowable Stress Design) to LRFD (Load Resistance Factor Design) format.

Characterization of Wood Composite Elasticity
This study is investigating the elasticity of various engineered wood products (EWP's) increasingly used for structural applications. Elasticity refers to material deformation behavior under applied force. Materials under investigation include various EWP's in the form of composite lumber. Study goals are intended to better characterize the elasticity compliance terms that describe composite lumber behavior. Characterization of elasticity compliance terms are vital to conduct stress state analysis. Better characterization of lumber composite material constants are essential for more advanced finite element model techniques to verify system performance and promote efficient structural designs.

Epoxy Usage for Timber Joint Connection Enhancement
An experimental study has been instituted to investigate the role of epoxy resin to improve the observed performance of innovative timber joinery connections.  Specific goals are designed to explore the enhancement of timber joint behavior in terms of connection stiffness and ultimate strength capacity to resist the direction action of axial tensile load conditions and lateral resistance to shear force.  The research activities are focused on two types of connection details that offer simplification to more traditional mortise and tenon typical of timber frame joinery.  Overall the project is a joint venture with a commercial timber frame manufacturer to develop performance data essential in model building code recognition with subsequent approval for varying construction applications.

Janowiak, J. J., and R. F. Pellerin. 1990. An empirical investigation of impact loading on reconstituted wood plates. For. Prod. J. 40(6):21-28.Janowiak, J. J., and R. F. Pellerin. 1991. Iosipescu shear test apparatus applied to wood composites. Wood and Fiber Sci. 23(3):410-418.

Janowiak, J. J., and R. F. Pellerin. 1992. Shear moduli determination using torsional stiffness measurements. Wood and Fiber Sci. 24(4):392-400.

Janowiak, J. J., K. R. Kessler, H. B. Manbeck, P. R. Blankenhorn, and P. Labosky. 1994. Compressive strength properties for two hardwood glulam materials. For. Prod. J. 44(2):61-64.

Kimmel, J. D., and J. J. Janowiak. 1995. Red maple and yellow poplar LVL from ultrasonically-rated veneer. For. Prod. J. 45(7/8):54-58.

Janowiak, J. J., H. B. Manbeck, R. Hernandez, and R. C. Moody. 1997. Red maple lumber resources for flued-laminated timber beams. For. Prod. J. 47(4):55-64.