Abstract

Eucalyptus nitens is a species introduced in Chile that has been shown to have a high adaptation to local soils and climates. Currently, it seeks to diversify its use to promote sustainable construction in Chile. However, this is a challenging task since this wood tends to develop internal checks, and collapse, mainly when young and small diameter Eucalyptus were used. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate its structural quality with techniques that could be applicable in different contexts. The objective of the present work is to analyze the effectiveness of the transverse vibration techniques to estimate the elastic properties of Eucalyptus nitens lumber boards. A total of 36 lumber boards, instrumented with accelerometers, were tested according to the ASTM D6874-12 standard in edgewise orientation. The software package ARTeMIS Modal Pro was used to determine modal frequencies, and shapes of the lumber boards. The dynamic longitudinal modulus of elasticity (MOE) was calculated using the first resonant frequency identified. There was a significant positive correlation between dynamic and static longitudinal MOE (R-sq=95%). The results show that the transverse vibration technique is useful both for estimating the longitudinal MOE and for detecting areas with knot concentrations in Eucalyptus nitens lumber boards.