Innovative methods of non-destructive evaluation of log quality

Vojtěch Ondrejka,Tomáš Bucha,Tomáš Gergeľ,Michal Pástor

doi:10.2478/forj-2020-0021

Vojtěch Ondrejka, Tomáš Bucha + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.2478/forj-2020-0021

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Abstract

Abstract For the sustainability of an important renewable resource, such as wood, it is important to significantly increase the efficiency of its processing. A large part of this raw material ends up in the wood processing industry, where it is used for the production of pulp, paper, construction and furniture timber, floors and others. Therefore, it is very important to gain the knowledge needed for optimal valuation of raw wood material, through quality detection and classification into quality classes. There are many defectoscopic methods working on different physical principles. The most familiar of these methods are semi-destructive and non-destructive, as they do not cause damage to the tree or wood during assessment. The aim of this article is to describe, assess and compare known semi-destructive and non-destructive methods for the assessment of wood properties. This article describes basic visual inspection, basic semi-destructive methods (Pilodyn, Resistograph) and advanced semi-destructive methods (SilviScan®, DiscBot®) as well. Non-destructive methods use mostly acoustic wave motion (acoustic, ultrasonic), high-frequency waves (using georadar, microwave) and methods based on visual evaluation (image, laser). At last, there are X–ray methods with the latest technology using three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT). The implementation of modern non-destructive methods is of great importance for the application of principles of Industry 4.0, where these methods provide collecting of data on the material properties, in its entire production flow of log processing.

Highlights

Today, under growing pressure from society, ecological standards and the developing industry in our country and in the world, there is an increasing emphasis on assessing the quality and origin of wood raw material
Non-destructive methods determine, for example, mechanical properties and physical. Another part of the qualitative evaluation is the determination of wood defects
The identified properties significantly affect the subsequent sorting of wood products, yield and the financial appreciation of wood

Summary

Introduction

Under growing pressure from society, ecological standards and the developing industry in our country and in the world, there is an increasing emphasis on assessing the quality and origin of wood raw material. For these reasons, the European Union has developed several instruments aimed at the ecology, regulation and legalisation of harvesting. In 2003, “Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade” (FLEGT) was created to prevent illegal timber trade and encourage investment in legal harvesting in developing countries. Rising social and ecological standards have given rise to FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification, which is a trusted system for forest certification and certification of the processing (consumer) chain of wood processing worldwide

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