The propagation law of stress wave in larch (Larix gmelinii) wood was studied in this work. External factors affecting the propagation velocity of stress wave in wood cross-section were studied using the orthogonal experiment method. The most influential factors were shown by the experimental results, and the parameters of the propagation velocity model of stress wave in larch wood were optimized. Based on the optimized propagation velocity model, combined with the traditional defect determination method, a twelve-directional stack imaging (TDSI) steps system was developed for larch wood internal defect detection. The analysis results showed that of the three external factors of temperature, moisture content, and illumination duration, temperature had the greatest influence on the propagation velocity model of stress wave in larch wood cross-section. Using TDSI to image the defective larch wood not only can locate the defective area, but also it can achieve a high imaging precision of 95.52%, and the imaging precision is unrelated to the location of the defect, which has a good quantitative defect detection effect.

As a kind of nondestructive testing technology, stress wave technology has the advantages of long propagation distance, strong anti-interference ability and convenient use, and has become one of the important means to detect wood properties and defects at home and abroad. This paper introduces several stress wave wood testing equipment commonly used in the field of wood non-destructive testing at this stage, and analyzes its characteristics. The research status of stress wave wood nondestructive testing technology is analyzed from three aspects: mechanical property testing, internal defect testing and factors affecting stress wave propagation velocity. Finally, the existing problems and development trends of stress wave technology in wood nondestructive testing are discussed to provide reference for further research in this field.

In order to detect the size and shape of defects inside wood, a propagation velocity model of stress wave in the longitudinal section of trees in different direction angles was proposed and evaluated. The propagation velocity model was established through theoretical analysis. Four representative tree species in the northeast region of China were taken as test samples. The propagation velocity of stress wave in the longitudinal section of trees in different directions was measured using a nondestructive testing instrument. The corresponding regression model was obtained, which was in good agreement with the theoretical mathematical model. For the larch log samples, a healthy multiple regression model (z = 109.2×2 – 182.1y2 + 36.78x2y2 – 34.76x2y4 + 1627) with correlation coefficient R2 = 0.97 and root mean square error RMSE =17.81 was used to conduct two-dimensional imaging of defective logs. Based on the results of two-dimensional imaging, the highest fitness of the images was 94.24%, and the lowest error rates of defect cavities was 6.11%. The imaging results showed that this method accurately detected the internal defects of trees and was not affected by the size of defects.