Elastic constant determination of hardwoods using ultrasonic insertion technique

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Acoustics
• Wood Science

Background:

• The through-transmission technique (TT) is commonly used for determining acoustic properties.
• Ultrasonic insertion technique (IT) is typically applied to medical phantoms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate the ultrasonic insertion technique (IT) as an alternative to the through-transmission technique (TT).
• To determine the elastic constants of Malaysian hardwoods in longitudinal, tangential, and radial directions using IT and TT.

Main Methods:

• Determined elastic constants of twelve Malaysian hardwoods (heavy, medium, light) using IT and TT.
• Utilized 2.25MHz ultrasonic transducers at 24.0°C.
• Compared data from both techniques to validate IT.

Main Results:

• IT showed consistent and accurate results for tangential and radial elastic constants (TEC and REC).
• Differences between IT and TT were within 8.89% for TEC and 5.86% for REC.
• IT proved to be a reliable method for elastic constant determination in hardwoods.

Conclusions:

• Ultrasonic insertion technique (IT) is a validated alternative to TT for determining hardwood elastic constants.
• IT is particularly suitable for precious wood samples where non-contact methods are preferred.
• The study demonstrates the efficacy of IT for characterizing wood material properties.