Determination of Elasticity of BF (Borassus Flabellifer) Leaf by Ultrasound

Abstract

Elastic waves can be propagated through solids, resulting in the collective vibrations of the atoms
and molecules in the medium. Ultrasonic is the most established technique to determine the elastic moduli of
solids. It is one of the most widely used techniques to investigate phase transitions in solids. A numbers of
ways of classifying defects that occur in solid wood or in wood-based materials are possible (Baucus, 1995).
Non-destructive evaluation is an important tool for the characterization of wood and can be used in industry to
improve quality control process through reducing the property variation of the raw material and its byproducts.
We used ultrasonic interferometer for measuring longitudinal and shear wave ultrasonic velocity in
BF wood material and composite material of dried leaf powder made by Mittal Enterprises, New Delhi. The
ultrasonic velocity was large in male BF wood and leaf material than female BF wood and leaf material.
Longitudinal wave velocity decreased with increasing density of wood material which affects the Young’s and
shear modulus of the wood and leaf material.