Acoustic Non-destructive Evaluation of Wood Properties in Standing Trees and Felled Stems
Part of the Growing Confidence in Forestry Future project.
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and Forest Growers Levy Trust Inc.
May 2014 – Apr. 2016
The University of Auckland (Stuart Bradley and Mathew Legg) subcontracted by Scion (John Moore and Grant Emms).
Trees in a forest may appear very similar but their properties can vary significantly. These properties determine what products the trees can be processed into. For example, structural grade lumber should have a high stiffness. Nondestructive testing allows one to measure the properties of trees before they are processed and hence segregate logs for different end products. Acoustics is the main NDT technique used for measuring wood properties. While extensively used by industry and academics, there is a need for improving the accuracy of these tools.
Developed novel acoustic/ultrasonic tools for measuring the internal stiffness of trees. Lab and field trial measurements and theory (for sound propagation in anisotropic media).
Publications
Anisotropic Stiffness Tensor Measurement for Standing Trees using Acoustics
Measurement of Stiffness of Standing Trees and Felled Logs using Acoustics: A Review
Legg, M and Bradley S
BibTeX
Ultrasonic retrieval of anisotropic stiffness tensor for trees
Experimental measurement of acoustic guided wave propagation in logs
Legg, M and Bradley, S
BibTeX
Measurement of stiffness of standing tress using acoustic velocity measurements made through tree stems
Legg, M and Bradley, S
BibTeX
Non-destructive assessment of wood properties in tree stems using acoustic imaging
Legg, M and Bradley, S