Abstract:
ULTRASONIC SOLID WOOD EVALUATION IN INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS

by J. L. Sandoz

This paper was presented at the 10th International Symposium on Nondestructive Testing of Wood 26.-28.09.1996 in Lausanne CH.
TOCs of the proceedings

Abstract

Wood is a biological material integrating a very large variability of its mechanical properties, specially on the longitudinal axis. Several NDT methods have been approached to measure wood physics or wood mechanics. This paper shows a new ultrasonic technology based on low frequency transducers, able to measure both radial and longitudinal directions of industrial wood specimen. Based on formal and electronical characteristics, this kind of transducers allow an accurate propagation time measurement, even without additive coupling material. Interesting applied results have been obtained for decay detection on living trees by focusing on the radial axis. Efficiency of log grading based on longitudinal measurements are a/so discussed, by me comparison of measurements done at several steps of the wood transformation process, until the final mechanical test of glued timber.

Author: