Propriétés vibratoires viscoélastiques des bois en direction axiale : distributions et analyses sur 450 espèces ligneuses

On présente une collection de données sur les propriétés vibratoires viscoélastiques de 450 espèces ligneuses, en réponse au manque actuel de vision globale notamment sur les coefficients d’amortissement. Les données proviennent de nos travaux expérimentaux et d’une revue exhaustive de la littérature. Les résultats présentés comprennent : les distributions de propriétés vibratoires par grands groupes ; des exemples de relations avec la phylogénie ; des applications aux instruments de musique

Mechanical damping of wood as related to species classification: a preliminary survey

International audienceSome morphological and biochemical taxonomic markers are also affecting factors of dynamic mechanical properties of wood. Thus, could these properties reflect the classification/phylogeny of taxa? This work is a first insight into this question. It relied on the gathering (through experimental campaigns and exhaustive literature review) of a large database on the viscoelastic (i.e. including damping) vibrational properties of 445 woody species. relationship between damping was confirmed at a wide interspecific scale, but described no more than 40% of not in a way that could be easily related to the phylogenetic tree. Damping was a bit more -Papilionoideae and, to a lesser extent, Lauraceae, Cupressaceae and Moraceae) damping than average, independently While for some other families no clear characteristics could be observed at least with the present number of represented species. In the future, increasing the amount of data and compiling anatomical and chemical markers / affecting factors will allow further analysis at sub-family levels, and a better understanding of this wide topic

Anisotropy of wood vibrational properties: dependence on grain angle and review of literature data

International audienceThe anisotropy of vibrational properties influences the acoustic behaviour of wooden pieces and their dependence on grain angle (GA). As most pieces of wood include some GA, either for technological reasons or due to grain deviations inside trunks, predicting its repercussions would be useful. This paper aims at evaluating the variability in the anisotropy of wood vibrational properties and analysing resulting trends as a function of orientation. GA dependence is described by a model based on transformation formulas applied to complex compliances, and literature data on anisotropic vibrational properties are reviewed. Ranges of variability, as well as representative sets of viscoelastic anisotropic parameters, are defined for mean hardwoods and softwoods and for contrasted wood types. GA-dependence calculations are in close agreement with published experimental results and allow comparing the sensitivity of different woods to GA. Calculated trends in damping coefficient (tanδ) and in specific modulus of elasticity (E′/ρ) allow reconstructing the general tanδ-E′/ρ statistical relationships previously reported. Trends for woods with different mechanical parameters merge into a single curve if anisotropic ratios (both elastic and of damping) are correlated between them, and with axial properties, as is indicated by the collected data. On the other hand, varying damping coefficient independently results in parallel curves, which coincide with observations on chemically modified woods, either "artificially", or by natural extractives

Changes in viscoelastic vibrational properties between compression and normal wood : roles of microfibril angle and of lignin

International audienceThis study aims at better understanding the respective influences of specific gravity (γ), microfibril angle (MFA), and cell-wall matrix polymers on viscoelastic vibrational properties of wood in axial direction. The wide variations of properties between normal wood (NW) and compression wood (CW) are in focus. Three young bent trees (Picea abies, Pinus sylvestris and Pinus pinaster) that recovered verticality were sampled. Several observed differences between NW and CW were highly significant in terms of anatomical, physical (γ, shrinkage, CIELab colorimetry), mechanical (compressive strength), and vibrational properties. Specific dynamic modulus of elasticity (E'/γ) decreases with increasing MFA, and Young's modulus (E') can be satisfactorily explained by γ and MFA. Apparently, the type of the cell wall polymer matrix is not influential in this regard. The damping coefficient (tanδ) does not depend solely on MFA of NW and CW. The tanδ - E'/γ relationship evidences that, at equivalent E'/γ, the tanδ of CW is approx. 34% lower than that of NW. This observation is ascribed to the more condensed nature of CW lignins, and this is discussed in the context of previous findings in other hygrothermal and time/frequency domains. It is proposed that the lignin structure and the amount and type of extractives, which are both different in various species, are partly responsible for taxonomy-related damping characteristics

Effect of extractives on vibrational properties of African Padauk (Pterocarpus soyauxii Taub.)

International audienceExtractives can affect vibrational properties tanδ (damping coefficient) and E'/ρ (specific Young's modulus) but this is highly dependent on species, compounds, and cellular locations. This paper investigates such effects for African Padauk (Pterocarpus soyauxii Taub.), a tropical hardwood with high extractives content and a preferred material for xylophones. 5 groups of 26 heartwood specimens with large, yet comparable, ranges in vibrational properties were extracted in different solvents. Changes in vibrational properties were set against yields of extracts and evaluation of their cellular location. Methanol (ME) reached most of compounds (13%), located about half in lumen and half in cell-wall. Water solubility was extremely low. tanδ and E'/ρ were very strongly related (R2≥0.93), but native wood had abnormally low values of tanδ, while extraction shifted this relation towards higher tanδ values. ME extracted heartwood became in agreement with the average of many species, and close to sapwood. Extractions increased tanδ as much as 60%, irrespective of minute moisture changes or of initial properties. Apparent E'/ρ was barely changed (+2% to -4%) but, after correcting the mass contribution of extracts, was in fact slightly reduced (down to -10% for high E'/ρ), and increasingly so for specimens with low initial values of E'/ρ

Vibrational properties of tropical woods with historical uses in musical instruments

This paper presents a collection of wood species with important uses in musical instruments, in reference to historical and geographical cultural specificities, with ranges of viscoelastic vibrational properties by species. Data combine our experimental characterizations and extensive literature review, gathered in a specific relational database. An overview of vibrational properties' distribution on c.400 species is introduced. Two case studies of wood choices for a given function in different epochs or regions are presented: woods for European historical bows, and woods for idiophone bodies in different continents. Trends are contrasted: very different properties associated to historical changes in the first case; some common features over different regions in the second one

Characterisation and categorisation of the diversity in viscoelastic vibrational properties between 98 wood types

Context : Increased knowledge on diversity in wood properties would have implications both for fundamental research and for promoting a diversification of uses as material. Aims : The objective is to contribute to overcoming the critical lack of data on the diversity of wood dynamic mechanical/viscoelastic vibrational properties by testing lesser known species and categorising sources of variability. Methods : Air-dry axial specific dynamic modulus of elasticity (E′/γ) and damping coefficient (tanδ) were measured on a wide sampling (1,792 specimens) of 98 wood types from 79 species. An experimental device and protocol was designed for conducting systematic (i.e. rapid and reproducible) characterisations. Results : Diversity at the specimens' level corroborates the "standard” relationship between tanδ and E′/γ, which is discussed in terms of orientation of wood elements and of chemical composition. Diversity at the species level is expressed on the basis of results for normal heartwood, with specific gravity (γ) ranging from 0.2 to 1.3. Axial E′/γ ranges from 9 to 32GPa and tanδ from 4 × 10−3 to 19 × 10−3. Properties distribution follows a continuum, but with group characteristics. The lowest values of tanδ are only found in certain tropical hardwoods. Results can also suggest alternative species for musical instruments making. Conclusion : The variations in specific gravity, in stiffness or in "viscosity” appear to be predominantly linked to different levels of diversity: between species or between wood types (reaction wood or taxonomy-related differences in heartwood extractives

Effect of extractions on dynamic mechanical properties of white mulberry (Morus alba)

International audienceVibrational properties of wood are affected by several parameters, of which extractives can be one of the most important ones. Wood for European musical instruments has been often studied, but traditional Middle Eastern ones had been left unnoticed. In this study white mulberry (Morus alba L.), the main material for long-necked lutes in Iran, was extracted by five solvents of various polarities (water included). Free-free bar forced vibrations were used to measure longitudinal (L) loss tangent (tanδ), storage (elastic) modulus (E′) and specific modulus (E′/γ) in the acoustic range. Their anisotropy between the 3 axes of orthotropy was determined by DMA (dynamic mechanical analysis). Native wood had a quite low EL′/γ but its tanδ was smaller than expected, and the anisotropy of tanδ and E′/γ was very low. Removal of extractives caused tanδ to increase and moduli to decrease. Acetone, the most effective solvent on damping despite a moderate extraction yield, increased tanδL by at least 20% but did not modify E′/γ as much. When used successively, its effects masked those of solvents used afterwards. Anisotropy of E′/γ was nearly unchanged after extraction in methanol or hot water, while tanδ was much more increased in R than in T direction. Results suggest that in white mulberry, damping is governed more by nature and localization of extractives rather than by their crud abundance