Near infrared spectroscopy for assessing mechanical properties of Castanea sativa wood samples

Near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) is a technique widely used for the prediction of different chemical-physical features of wood. In this study, the technique was used to assess its potential to predict the mechanical characteristics of wood. Castanea sativa samples of three different European provenances were collected and laboratory tests were performed to assess the mechanical properties of wood samples. Modulus of elasticity (MOE), load-deflection curve and modulus of rupture (MOR) were calculated by using INSTRON machine with three points bending strength with elastic modulus, while density (D) was calculated according to the current standard. Samples were then analysed by means of NIR spectroscopy. The raw spectra were pre-processed and regression models were developed. Variables selection techniques were used to improve the model performance. In detail, MOE regression model returned an error of 696.01 MPa (R²=0.78). Instead, MOR and D prediction models must be further investigated on a wider number of samples considering the high variability in physical characteristics of chestnut wood. The results demonstrated the possibility to use NIR technique for the prediction of the mechanical properties of wood providing useful indications in evaluation-screening processes. Indeed, the presence of the principal wood compounds (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin) and their influence in the characterisation of mechanical stress reactions were confirmed.