Physical and mechanical properties of wood after moisture conditioning

Abstract

Some properties of wood (hinoki:Chamaecyparis obtusa) moisture-conditioned by an adsorption process from a dry state and by two desorption processes (from a water-saturated state and from a state with a moisture content slightly below the fiber saturation point) were investigated. The moisture contents of wood conditioned by the adsorption process and by the desorption process continued to approach to one another for the moisture-conditioning period of over 50 weeks. Accordingly, sorption hysteresis should be regarded as a transitional phenomenon that occurs during the process of approaching the true equilibrium, which requires a long time. The wood conditioned by the desorption process beginning from a water-saturated state showed slightly smaller dimensions than those conditioned by the adsorption process with the same moisture content; however, the wood conditioned by the desorption process from a moisture content below the fiber saturation point showed slightly larger dimensions than those conditioned by the adsorption process. The wood conditioned by the adsorption process from a dry state showed a higher modulus of elasticity and modulus of rupture than did the wood conditioned from a water-saturated state with the same moisture content. The mechanical properties of the wood also varied based on the states at which the desorption process was started. This is a notable characteristic of the relation between the drying condition and the mechanical properties of wood.