Abstract
The differences between two types of Prunus sp., a Japanese cherry tree, were the first investigated by an acoustic vibration analysis. The resonance frequency by the acoustic vibration was very different among the different types of tree forms, i.e, upright and weeping. Two Types of trunk and basal part of branch were analyzed. In all of the tested parts, the sound speed of the trunks and branches in the weeping type of tree showed a tendency to be faster than that in the upright type of tree. The uniformity of composition in their wood was also estimated by the coefficient-of-variation (CV) of the sound speed. The CV of the weeping type of tree was lower than that of the upright type of tree. This result for the weeping type in both its trunks and branches indicates that the weeping type of tree would have a uniform composition. Based on this result, the function of the tension wood formation in the two types of tree was discussed. Our results suggest that this analysis would be useful for determining the inside composition including the tension wood formation as a nondestructive method after being exposed to outer space environment.
