SBIR-STTR Award

This Phase I project is aimed at the development of a new ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation (NDE) system capable of detecting both bacterially infected green oak lumber ("wetwood") prior to kiln drying, and internal defects (checking, honeycomb) in dried hardwood. Both wetwood and honeycomb are severe problems in the domestic hardwood industry, resulting in up to 10% production loss. We have applied for an exclusive license to patented technology from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory, which forms the basis of the system. We propose to make sign)ficant, fundamental improvements to their basic approach, applying sophisticated ultrasound propagation and analysis techniques to improve reliability, detection, and operational speed and stability. The initial program is a feasibility study of the variables involved in ultrasound transmission, detection, and signal analysis. The program will begin by working with test pieces in the lab, eventually moving to actual field test sites. Phase I efforts include: l) survey specific industry requirements; 2) develop a new detection scheme for lumber inspection; 3) examine the effects of transducer frequency, filtering, measurement methods, and detection algorithms; 4) perform field trials to gather operational data; 5) compare the system's capabilities with existing techniques; and 6) determine the optimal system parameters.Applications:There is a proven industry need for both wetwood and honeycomb detection. The primary market will be hardwood kiln drying operations, and remanufacturers in the hardwood industry. The product will be commercialized in cooperation with existing manufacturers of lumber scanning and optimizing equipment. The demand for hardwood is expanding at a rate of 4-5 % per year, and this product will have a sign)ficant impact on efficiency, product consistency, energy savings, and environmental protection.

This Phase II project expands upon the successful Phase I research program, which demonstrated a new ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation (NDE) system capable of detecting both bacterially infected oak lumber ("wetwood") prior to kiln drying, and internal defects (checking, honeycomb) in dried hardwood lumber. Both wetwood and honeycomb are severe problems in the domestic hardwood industry, resulting in up to 10% production loss. Sonic Industries has exclusive license to patented technology from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory, which forms the basis of the system. The Phase I research program made significant, fundamental improvements to their approach, through new and sophisticated ultrasound propagation and analysis techniques. The Phase II program is a research effort aimed at areas critical to the eventual commercialization of the technology. The Phase II efforts include: 1) comprehensive experimentation on a large dataset to determine baseline parameters, and investigate new signal processing approaches; 2) design of new transducers specifically suited to the application; 3) development of a high speed DSP based computer system, capable of processing data from a number of sensors simultaneously; and ) perform field experimentation to prove out the technology, and explore several novel applications of ultrasound to lumber grading and sorting.Applications:There is a substantial industry need for both wetwood and internal defect detection. The primary market will be hardwood kiln drying operations, and remanufacturers in the hardwood industry. The product will be commercialized in cooperation with existing manufacturers of lumber scanning and optimizing equipment. The demand for hardwood is expanding at a rate of 4-5% per year, and this product will have a significant impact on efficiency, product consistency, energy savings, and environmental protection.