Visual methods to detect wood defects, although of great utility, can lead to inaccurate results and demand a specialist to carry it out. The presence of knots, cracks or pith regions inside a sawed piece can be imperceptible in the visual evaluation. One of the greatest progress obtained in the last years in the characterization of materials - not only to determine its mechanical properties but also its quality - is the application of acoustic techniques like the ultrasound. The objective of this study is to evaluate, by statistical analysis, the sensibility of the ultrasonic method for detection of defects in pieces of sawed wood. For the trail, 180 pieces of Pinus sp. with 0.027 m of thickness, 0.10 m of width and 0.25 of length were used. These pieces tested under air dried condition (approximately 12% moisture content), were obtained at a saw mill in Campinas. The velocity of ultrasonic waves was measured by Steinkamp BP-7 ultrasound equipment with 45 kHz transducers. Initially the pieces were analyzed by visual method and later the velocity of ultrasonic waves through the wood pieces was measured. An exploratory analysis of the variables was done and a logistic regression model was obtained. The objective was to verify the relationship for the presence or absence of defects in the wood and the velocity of ultrasonic wave propagation. The results demonstrate a strong relationship between the ultrasonic wave propagation and the defects detected by the visual analysis
visual analysis; ultrasound; wood defects
