Patent ID: 7680304

Claim:
A method of non-destructive testing of a wood piece using a multiplicity of sensors comprising the steps of: sensing the wood piece; collecting information from the sensors; and integrating the information into a model on a computer providing for strength and stiffness prediction; wherein collecting information includes collecting information relating to material characteristics of the wood piece and information relating to fiber quality characteristics of the wood piece; wherein the information relating to material characteristics includes at least two of a growth ring thickness, grain angle deviation, clear wood density, knot location, knot density, knot type, knot size, or location in the tree from which the wood piece was cut; and wherein the information relating to fiber quality characteristics includes at least one of a microfibril angle, juvenile wood, biodeterioration, manufacturing or drying defects, or reaction wood species wherein the model is constructed by: measuring material density in a plurality of dimensions on the wood piece; estimating other wood volume characteristics, including grain angle, growth ring angle, location in the tree from which the wood piece was cut, fiber quality including microfibril angle, and 3D geometry of the scanned piece; reducing clear wood equivalent density by effect of the wood volume characteristics using relationships of these characteristics on mechanical behavior of wood; further reducing clear wood equivalent density by effect of wood defects in respective locations of occurrence and effect of wood defects on mechanical behavior of wood; and constructing strength and stiffness models using clear wood density equivalent.