Detection of old house borer larvae in wooden structures by acoustic emission method – Influence of larval size and sensor location

Abstract

The detection of old house borer larvae (Hylotrupes bajulus L.) in Scots pine wood (Pinus sylvestris L.) was performed using the acoustic emission (AE) method. Laboratory experiments (as preliminary) as well as real tests in full-sized building elements were performed. The sound energy of larvae with a mass of 0.011 g to 0.065 g placed in small samples of wood was calculated. A remarkable relationship was found between the calculated sound energy and larva mass. The AE measurement of an old house borer larva in construction element with a cross-section of 11.0 cm × 5.5 cm and a length of 203 cm was also performed. A remarkable drop in calculated sound energy was observed with increasing distance of the sensor from the larval presence. Similar measurements were also conducted in wood with a cross-section of 1.5 cm × 1.5 cm and a length of 203 cm. There was a smaller decline in the calculated energy of sound than in previous studies. For this reason, the AE method should be used in detecting wood-boring insects in furniture.