Using the Ultrasonic Stress Wave Technique to Evaluate Structural Timber Members of an Old Masonry Building

Abstract

Aim of
 study: The main objective of this study is to evaluate the current state of the
 structural timber members of an old masonry building by using destructive and
 non-destructive test methods and to determine the efficiency of non-destructive
 test methods by obtaining correlations between destructive and non-destructive
 test parameters.
 
  
 
 Area of
 study: Specimens were extracted from different parts of an old semi-detached
 masonry building in Istanbul, Turkey. The building was built at the beginning
 of the 20th century in Kadıköy, a residential district in the Asia side of
 Istanbul. 
 
  
 
 Material
 and Methods: Ultrasonic stress wave test was carried out on
 specimens prepared from the structural members. Following the ultrasonic based
 non-destructive tests, the bending strength and modulus of elasticity in the
 bending tests were determined for the specimens. 
 
  
 
 Main
 results: According to the results of the experiments, it was observed that the
 regression correlations were high for the softwoods (fir and spruce), but
 relatively lower correlations were obtained for the chestnut specimens. 
 
  
 
 Highlights:
 Because
 of the good R2 values obtained between the MOED and
 mechanical properties of the softwoods, the non-destructive stress wave
 technique can be recommended for the evaluation of softwoods in structures.
 Although chestnut showed very good mechanical properties, a satisfactory
 evaluation of the chestnut members could not be obtained because of the small
 number of specimens. Further investigation is needed with large sample groups.