Behind the paper: non-destructive assessment of reclaimed timber elements
56 planks and 5 barn timber logs (left), sample setup during CT scanning (middle) and a section of the scan (right)
Drastic’s new series, ‘Behind the paper’ takes the opportunity to shine the circularity spotlight on a variety of fascinating academic papers and reports that relate to the project.
About the paper
This month’s paper was co-written by one of Drastic’s Norwegian partners, Omtre, and focuses on the non-destructive assessment of reclaimed timber, evaluating the use of X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanning and computational mechanics to assess the quality of reclaimed timber elements.
Why is reclaimed timber assessment important?
Accurate assessments of these materials can optimise their potential for reuse, addressing concerns regarding material quality that are currently preventing industry-scale implementation.
In turn, the reuse of such materials can help to propel the advancement towards a European circular economy, a goal that lies deep at the heart of Drastic’s mission.
Drastic’s Norwegian Demonstrator
The research presented in this paper is highly relevant to Drastic’s Nordic Demonstrator, which focuses on reclaiming timber for innovative structural and load-bearing applications in temporary commercial buildings.
The paper’s methods support the Demonstrator’s aim to reuse timber across multiple lifecycle stages by helping identify damage, predict performance, and reduce uncertainty in the process of reclaiming timber.
Drastic’s connection to the paper is reinforced by the involvement of project partner Omtre, who contributed to the paper’s research and co-lead the Nordic Demonstrator, alongside fellow Drastic partners Produktif and TalTech.
Omtre’s role helps align scientific advances in reclaimed timber assessment with the demonstrator’s practical objectives, furthering Drastic’s broader efforts to advance circular, multi-cycle timber use.