Prediction of Maritime Pine Boards Modulus of Elasticity by Means of Sonic Testing on Green Timber

Abstract

Timber buildings are experiencing a rapid diffusion due to their good performance and their sustainability; however, some steps of structural timber production process, such as drying, are energy-intensive and environmentally impactful, and many wood species are also affected by low yield. Therefore, it would be important to determine the quality of the green material, that is, in wet condition, before undergoing the most impactful and expensive production steps. This paper describes a research aimed at quantifying the variation of the dynamic modulus of elasticity MoE_dyn, which is commonly used for structural timber mechanical grading, from wet to dry condition in Sardinian maritime pine boards to be used for the production of laminated timber, and to examine the relationship between wet and dry MoE_dyn. The MoE_dyn was determined from measurements of the velocity of sonic waves propagating through the boards. The results show that the dry MoE_dyn can be estimated starting from boards sonic testing in the wet condition, so providing a basis for implementing Sardinian maritime pine pre-grading in order to obtain the reduction of manufacturing costs, the abatement of environmental impact, and the increase of structural grade yield.