Use of the Ground Penetrating Radar Technique for Structural Timber Grading – Comparison Analysis of Grading Methods

This work analyzes the efficiency of the ground penetrating radar (GPR) technique for the evaluation of strength grading of structural sawn timber. For this end, tests were performed on pinus radiata timber samples using GPR and other common evaluation techniques: visual grading and ultrasound-based evaluation. In order to determine the level of reliability of the different grading methods for timber structures, the results obtained with each method are compared to the results obtained from experimental bending-strength tests undertaken in accordance with standard EN408. Finally, the level of reliability of the GPR technique is compared to that of the other methods analyzed in this paper. The results obtained in this work show that GPR can be a valuable tool for the evaluation of structural timber, since it is a non-destructive technique, fast and easy to use, and what is more important, more reliable than other current evaluation methods used for timber grading.