The temperature and moisture content in lumber during preheating and drying

✍ Scribed by Gu Lian Bai; P. Garrahan

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1984
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 1022 KB
• Volume: 18
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0043-7719
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00350471

✦ Synopsis

The time required to thoroughly preheat/presteam green 8/4 (51 mm) thick red pine and white birch lumber was determined. Thermocouples imbedded in the centre of samples were used to determine presteaming/preheating times for experimental material. These data were then compared to time determined by analytical methods (using formulae developed by Kollmann). No significant differences were found.

During the subsequent drying period data were collected on interior wood temperature, moisture content and gradient. Results of the drying tests indicated: i) interior temperature increases in direct relation to elapsed time, ii) moisture content drops exponentially with elapsed time, and iii) an exponential relationship exists between average moisture content and the core temperature of the lumber.

Results indicate that monitoring of the lumber drying process through measurements of interior wood temperature may be feasible.