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 Charles R. Frihart | Charles R. FrihartForest Biopolymer Science and EngineeringUnit: FPL-4707 Research Chemist One Gifford Pinchot Drive Madison, WI United States 53726-2398 Phone: 608-231-9208 charles.r.frihart@usda.gov |
Current Research
Dr. Frihart is engaged with building bridges between applied and fundamental research, industry and academics, nano-scale processes and macro-scale properties, chemical structures and polymer properties between the United States and foreign researchers. His main area of interest is in adhesives, but the interaction of chemicals with wood has important value from his perspective.The 25 years of professional experience that he brings from working in industry on the development of new processes and products has led to a strong belief in team efforts and the fundamentals that serve as the basis for problem solving within the commercial products arena.His involvement in the following FPL research teams includes:
- Working with University of Wisconsin professors and the use of advanced nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and nanoindentation to better under wood adhesion fundamentals.
- Working with outside companies which has led to new technology for soybean-based adhesives that are being used commercially.
- Assisting the Department of Defense on improving binders for primers used in small caliber ammunition.
Research Interest
- Analysis of wood bonds
- Analytical chemistry of wood adhesives
- Bio-based adhesives
- Mechanisms of adhesive bonding
- Performance of wood adhesives
- Wood adhesive chemistry
Education
- Columbia University, Chemistry Department, Postdoctoral Post Doc , 1976
- University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana, Ph.D. Bio-organic Chemistry , 1973
- University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana, M.S. Bio-organic Chemistry , 1971
- University of Wisconsin, Madison, B.S. Organic Chemistry , 1969
Below are the 143 US Forest Service publications sorted by year. You may re-sort the list by: Title, Date Posted, Category, Publication or Year.
| Publication Year: 2018 | |
 Highlight ID: 1311 | X-Ray Methods to Observe and Quantify Adhesive Penetration into Wood To accelerate development of new and improved wood adhesives for engineered wood products, researchers are working to understand the optimal adhesive penetration into wood for specific products and applications. ... |
| Publication Year: 2017 | |
 Highlight ID: 1269 | Soy adhesives resolve two problems at once Lower formaldehyde emission bonded wood products can be made using plant-based adhesives through an industry-government partnership. ... |
| Publication Year: 2016 | |
 Highlight ID: 661 | New Test of Raw Material Quality Improves the Strength of Wood Laminates Plywood and laminated veneer lumber are built from wood veneers. Because the test for surface quality of the veneer was not very useful, Forest Service scientists developed a quick, easy method that tells us how to determine what veneers will make st ... |
 Highlight ID: 666 | Using Soybeans to Replace Synthetic Adhesives for Wood Bonding Soybeans were used to glue the first plywood but were replaced by fossil-fuel-based adhesives after World War II. Scientists at the Forest Service's Forest Products Laboratory have helped soy adhesives return to plywood and are helping to find more a ... |
| Publication Year: 2013 | |
 Highlight ID: 435 | Success of Wood Veneers Influenced by Harvesting Season and Temperature: Plywood Performance and Failure: A New Understanding Cooperation with Finnish researchers results in new understanding of relationships between veneer processing, veneer properties, and product failure. ... |
| Publication Year: 2012 | |
 Highlight ID: 1 | Do Not Blame Adhesives When Veneers Are Guilty Perfectly good adhesives may be wrongly discarded after failing a performance test when in actuality the veneer caused the failure. ... |
| Publication Year: 2011 | |
 Highlight ID: 309 | Soy-based Adhesives for Wood Products Soy-based adhesives developed at FPL have been commercialized and allow wood manufacturers to replace adhesives based on fossil fuel with biomass-based adhesives. ... |
| Publication Year: 2010 | |
 Highlight ID: 170 | Centennial Edition, Wood Handbook—Wood as an Engineering Material The Wood Handbook—Wood as an Engineering Material serves as a primary reference document for a wide variety of users-from the general public through architects and design engineers who use wood in highly engineered structures. ... |
 Highlight ID: 172 | Soy-Based Adhesives Provide Wood Composites That Meet California Emission Standards Ashland- Hercules, working cooperatively with the Forest Products Laboratory, have developed these soy adhesives and have commercialized them for interior plywood, engineered wood flooring and particleboard. This technology also allows wood manufactu ... |
| Title | Date Posted |
|---|---|
 Newest Forest Products Journal Features Adhesives:The latest issue (Volume 54, No. 1/2, 2015) of The Forest Products Journal is all about adhesives. Featuring 10 selected articles addressing a theme of efficient use of wood resources in wood adhesive bonding research presented at the 2013 International Conference on Wood Adhesives in Toronto, Canad... | 04-16-2015 |
 Soy Proteins as Wood AdhesivesProtein-based adhesives have a long and ingenious history. Animal protein, casein from milk, soy flour, and even blood have historically been used as bonding agents for wood product applications. These proteins have allowed for the development of bonded wood products such as plywood and glued-lamina... | 05-06-2014 |