NONDESTRUCTIVE STRENGTH AND REHABILITATION ASSESSMENT OF WOOD-BASED STRUCTURES

METHODS FOR RELIABLY ASSESSING THE IN-SITU STRENGTH OF WOOD MEMBERS WILL BE STUDIED USING NONDESTRUCTIVE EVALUATION PROCEDURES INVOLVING SPECTRAL ANALYSIS OF STRESS-WAVE PARAMETERS. THESE PROCEDURES ARE BASED ON THE EXTENSION OF THE RESULTS OF PREVIOUS RESEARCH ON NONDESTRUCTIVE EVALUATION OF THE STRENGTH OF WOOD UTILITY POLES AND WOOD COMPOSITE PANEL PRODUCTS. THE DEVELOPED PROCEDURES OFFER CONSIDERABLE PROMISE AS RELIABLE STENGTH PREDICTION METHODS.DEVELOPMENT OF RELIABLE NONDESTRUCTIVE ASSESSMENT PROCEDURESFOR INSITU WOOD MEMBERS WILL ENABLE STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS TO EVALUATE THE REHABILITATION POTENTIAL OF EXISTING WOOD STRUCTURES. THE ABILITY TO RATE THE STRUCTURAL CAPACITY OF WOOD MEMBERS WHILE THEY ARE IN USE WILL IMPROVE THE FEASIBILITY OF REHABILITATING WOOD BUILDINGS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH HEAVY TIMBER STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS. WITH THE MANY THOUSANDS OF EXISTING, OLDER, WOOD-BASED STRUCTURES, THE POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC BENEFITS CREATED BY REHABILITATION OR RENOVATION IS ENORMOUS. FURTHERMORE, THE ABILITY TO ASSESS IN-SITU STRENGTH OF EXISTING WOOD MEMBERS WILL QUANTIFY THE SAFETY AND RELIABILITY OF THESE MANY STRUCTURES.