02-18: Evaluation of a Simplified Procedure to Determine the Condition of Wood

This study was conducted in a effort to evaluate a simplified procedure for determining the condition of structural members in a wood cooling tower. Shutdown periods for inspections are costly and often only a short time period is available. The simplified awl penetration test commonly used by contractors during inspections of wood cooling towers would be more reliable if penetration data were correlated to mechanical properties. For this study, an awl test was conducted and mechanical properties were evaluated for wood removed from a cooling tower. Significant reductions in mechanical properties were found and consistent relationships between awl penetration and mechanical properties were observed. The use of an awl for inspections with quantifiable residual strength results appears to be promising, however, further testing should be conducted to verify an expand the results found in this study.