Estimativa do módulo de elasticidade à flexão de toras de madeira por meio de vibração transversal livre

The logs intended for structural applications need to go through a process of quality assessment in order to verify that their mechanical properties meet the design requirements. The oldest method of assessment is to visually inspect the surface of the logs. However, it is impossible to examine the internal integrity of the material is one of the biggest drawbacks of this method. Thus, visual inspection should always be accompanied by a complementary method of Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) among which the bathing suits are used for the static bending and dynamic tests as ultrasound and transverse vibration. This paper presents an experimental study on estimating the bending modulus of elasticity of logs by transverse vibration tests. Ten Eucalyptus citriodora logs with a length of about 4.5 meters and diameter of 16 cm were tested for static bending and transverse vibration. The results showed a good correlation between the static and dynamic modules of elasticity indicating that the vibration test can be used to evaluate with good accuracy the bending stiffness of logs.