Strengthening research on non-destructive testing applied to the timber using wave propagation

Abstract

Background of the Partnership: The initial contacts and discussions with the researcher Dr. Esther Merlo, concerning projects in non-destructive testing of timber occurred during the 16th International Symposium on Nondestructive Testing and Evaluation of Wood, held in October 2009 in Beijing - China. On that occasion it was verified that there were many opportunities to realize exchanges between our institutions, since both have been working on wave propagation tests conducted in standing trees in order to obtain parameters for timber grading. From this first meeting, we continue exchanging ideas via e-mail and in February 2010 I was invited to stay in Spain for two weeks, to work together on the research project "Structural characterization of beams through sonic methods". During this time Dr. Esther Merlo managed to gather a group of researchers from other Institutions of Spain and Italy, and together we discuss aspects related to the nondestructive wood grading and conducted tests on structural beams using different types of equipment, included the USLab, developed by the research group of LabEND/FEAGRI/UNICAMP in partnership with the AGRICEF. Partial results of these tests allowed the production of an article which will be presented in Oral form at the 17th International Symposium on Nondestructive Testing and Evaluation of Wood to be held in September 2011 in Sopron, Hungary. After my return to Brazil we continue in contact by e-mail and now we are working on the tests results to share, with the other researches who participated in the trials, and also to elaborate an article to be submitted to a scientific journal. These results will provide a basis to continuing the project. Visit Plan To continue our exchange I invited Dr. Esther Merlo to participate as an Invited Researcher in our institution, School of Agricultural Engineering (FEAGRI) at Campinas State University (UNICAMP). The proposed work plan for the period (September 25 to October 29) in our institution (detailed on the program of activities and schedule) includes a discussion of results and continuity planning of the project started in Spain, participating in discussion of methodologies, results, and testing of projects under development in our research group, the visit to some institutions linked to the area of forests and timber (Forestry Department at ESALQ/USP and University of Brasilia/UNB and Laboratory of Forest Products (LPF)/Brasilia); the visit forests companies in the São Paulo State with which our research group have partnerships and lectures in the undergraduate and postgraduate courses in wood theme at FEAGRI. The Forestry Departments cited were chosen because they are working on topics related to the projects involved in this visit and also for being partners in our research group. The LPF (Brasilia) was chosen for the visit of the researcher because they have a multidisciplinary team, including anatomy and morphology, degradation and conservation, energy, chemical, drying and characterization and classification of wood. Additionally, this laboratory has modern equipment and facilities, so they are adequately prepared to receive a visitor from abroad, allowing overview of research related to forests in Brazil since it belongs to the Brazilian Forest Service. Future activities of the partnership. We are planning, for a PhD student of the research group LabEND, Cinthya Bertoldo Pedroso, under my supervision, who has a scholarships from FAPESP, to stay at CISMADEIRA and at University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) - Spain, where she will do some tests in forests as well as participate in some modules of the course of Ingenieria de la Madera Estructural offered by USC. (AU)