Guillermo Íñiguez-González

Vibration method for grading of large cross-section coniferous timber species

Abstract The non-destructive testing (NDT) of timber using the longitudinal vibration method is based on the natural frequency of wood which is in relation to its quality. In the present paper, the suitability of this tool is investigated and the results of grading 395 pieces are presented. Structural timber of Radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don.), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), and Laricio pine [Pinus nigra ssp. salzmannii (Dunal) Franco] from Spanish sources were investigated. The specimens were tested for bending according to the European standard EN 408 (2003) and the values of strength and stiffness were compared with the results estimated by means of NDT. The vibration equipment applied permits the measurement of the longitudinal natural frequency and mass of the specimen, and then the density and the dynamic modulus of elasticity can be calculated. There is a strong relationship between the static modulus of elasticity obtained from the bending test and the dynamic modulus of elasticity obtained by the NDT technique. There is an acceptable relationship between modulus of rupture and dynamic modulus of elasticity if the visual defects (knot sizes) are taken into account. Acoustic measurements have become widely acceptable, and they have great potential for stress grading of coniferous timber.

Determination of the mechanical properties of radiata pine timber by means of longitudinal and transverse vibration methods

Abstract Bending properties have been determined by mechanical testing [modulus of elasticity (MOE) and modulus of rupture (MOR)] and by means of longitudinal (L) and transverse (T) vibration nondestructive methods on 150 sawn timber pieces of Pinus radiata D. Don, with the dimensions of 80×120 mm cross-section and 2500 mm long, from Catalonia, Spain. The fundamental vibration frequency was measured by recording the sound produced by hitting the piece in L and T directions, and this signal was analyzed by fast Fourier transform sound analyzer. The dynamic MOE was obtained for both procedures and compared with static MOE and MOR. The notion of concentrated knot diameter ratio (CKDR) was introduced to improve the prediction of MOR. CKDR gives better results when this parameter is referred to the central portion of piece length. Both methods (L and T frequencies) have similar accuracy in prediction of mechanical properties, but the first one is simpler and has some practical advantages. The timber graded with this nondestructive method offers better results than the visual grading rules for the same output.

Influence of timber moisture content on wave time-of-flight and longitudinal natural frequency in coniferous species for different instruments

Abstract Non-destructive techniques (NDTs) are well suited for rapid estimation of timber properties, but NDT results are affected by several factors, the most important of which is the moisture content (MC) of wood. Much of the research in this context was limited to ultrasound measurement of a few wood species, mainly to Norway spruce. The present paper investigates the MC influence on the NDT results obtained by instruments based on ultrasound (two devices), impact stress waves (one device) and longitudinal vibrations (two devices). A hundred large cross-section specimens of four timber species were tested, namely: radiata pine, Scots pine, Salzmann pine and maritime pine. The influence of MC on velocity was found to be stronger below the fiber saturation point (FSP) than above FSP. MC adjustment factors below FSP are proposed for these wood species.

Influence of moisture content on the results of penetration and withdrawal resistance measurements on softwoods

Abstract Needle penetration resistance (NPR) and screw withdrawal resistance (SWR) are widely used techniques for density estimation of woods integrated in timber structures. The moisture content (MC) influences these measurements and correction coefficients are needed to ensure the accuracy of results. The goal of the present paper was to scrutinize the relation between NPR and SWR measurements and MC in case of radiata pine, Scots pine, Salzmann pine, and maritime pine usually used in wood constructions, from which 25 specimens from each species were probed. The specimen’s MC ranged from 65.1 to 8.3%. Results show that NPR depth has a positive linear relationship with MC while the SWR force a negative one below the fiber saturation point (FSP). Above the FSP, the MC influence is less pronounced and less regular. MC correction factors of measurements below the FSP are proposed for the species studied.

Simplified Model for Strength Assessment of Timber Beams Joined by Bonded Plates

AbstractThis paper presents a simplified method of analysis and design for repair using bonded rigid plates of timber beams with localized damage. This method assesses the load-bearing capacity of the connection between plate and timber and proposes two failure modes: shear stresses at the bonding interface and in the timber piece. An experimental campaign was developed to verify the theoretical model, which in this paper is limited to the problem of bending moment transfer. Ten specimens of Pinus radiata D. Don were joined with bonded-in plates and 10 with laterally bonded ones, after which they were tested for bending. Two epoxy formulations were used as adhesive and glass fiber–reinforced plastic (GFRP) plates for reinforcements. Tests with different anchorage lengths were developed to establish a relationship with load-carrying capacity. For an anchorage length approximately longer than twice the depth of the plate, failure was not located at the connection. There was reasonable agreement between the ...

Comparison of various multivariate models to estimate structural properties by means of non-destructive techniques (NDTs) in Pinus sylvestris L. timber

Abstract The predictability of modulus of elasticity (MOE), modulus of rupture (MOR) and density of 120 samples of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) were investigated using various non-destructive variables (such as time of flight of stress wave, natural frequency of longitudinal vibration, penetration depth, pullout resistance, visual grading and concentrated knot diameter ratio), and based on multivariate algorithms, applying WEKA as machine learning software. The algorithms used were: multivariate linear regression (MLR), Gaussian, Lazy, artificial neural network (ANN), Rules and decision Tree. The models were quantified based on the root-mean-square error (RMSE) and the coefficient of determination (R2). To avoid model overfitting, the modeling was built and the results validated via the so-called 10-fold cross-validation. MLR with the “greedy method” for variable selection based on the Akaike information metric (MLRak) significantly reduced the RMSE of MOR and MOE compared to univariate linear regressions (ULR). However, this reduction was not significant for density prediction. The predictability of MLRak was not improved by any other of the tested algorithms. Specifically, non-linear models, such as multilayer perceptron, did not contribute any significant improvements over linear models. Finally, MLRak models were simplified by discarding the variables that produce the lowest RMSE increment. The resulted models could be even further simplified without significant RMSE increment.

In-situ density estimation by four nondestructive techniques on Norway spruce from built-in wood structures

Abstract Needle penetration resistance (NPR), screw withdrawal resistance (SWR), core drilling (CD) and drilling chips extraction (DCE) are nondestructive and semi-destructive techniques used to estimate density in timber structures. In most of the previous studies, these techniques were tested in clear sawn timber and clear specimens. The goal of the present paper is to study the relationship between density and these techniques by means of five different devices in whole pieces of timber from built-in engineering structures, which are from 12 4.5-m long structural timber joists of Norway spruce from a 19th century building in Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain). Although determination coefficients (R2) for density estimation models were lower than those from clear timber, the results obtained confirmed that these four techniques are suitable for in-situ density estimation of woods in buildings. The best results were obtained by CD (the bigger the bit, the higher the correlation), followed by DCE, and SWR. The worst correlation was found for NPR devices, but the results could be probably improved with more measurements.

Influence of length and sensor positioning on acoustic time-of-flight (ToF) measurement in structural timber

Abstract The mechanical properties of timber can be estimated from wave propagation velocity by measuring wave time-of-flight (ToF). However, a time-lag complicates the measurements, which produces an apparent velocity dependency on length and this species and instrument dependent property is also influenced by knottiness. This research is dealing with time-lag determination by different sensor positioning in situ ToF measurements. ToF longitudinal measurements were conducted on 120 90 mm×140 mm specimens of the coniferous species radiata pine, Scots pine, laricio pine and maritime pine. The following commercially available acoustic devices were used: Sylvatest Duo, USLab, and Microsecond Timer. The sensors were arranged for the measurement types “end-to-end”, “on the same surface” and “on opposite surfaces”. ToF data were obtained from the full-length (4 m) specimens and then from the same specimens shortened to 3 m, 2 m and 1 m in length. The in situ procedures of ToF are applicable for a reliable length determination independently from the time-lag (tL) and velocity. The differences observed by end-to-end measurements, with respect to velocity, are below 4.4%. A velocity correction factor can be deduced for each instrument, which is independent of species.