Acoustic Characterization of Resonance Wood

In this paper, a new approach for the characterization of resonance wood is described. In order to investigate how the wood microstructure influences final resonance performances, an intensive imaging analysis has been done, using innovative methods: X-ray synchrotron light micro- tomography coupled with the scanning electron microscopy. Several samples of Picea Abies (Spruce) from different provenances were tested in order to understand if their acoustic behavior is influenced by microstructure using a scientific approach. The geometrical and morphological information obtained by robust image processing analysis was used to feed a Finite Element Method model for further acoustic simulations. The method helped to show how the microstructure of this material determines its acoustical macro-behavior, allowing an objective sort between the high quality resonance wood and the worse one.