Effect of Cyclic Humidity Exposure On Moisture Diffusion In Wood

Authors

  • Jing Ping Lu
  • R. H. Leicester

Keywords:

Moisture diffusion, cyclic humidity, surface attenuation

Abstract

It is known that moisture content changes in wood strongly affect the mechano-sorptive effects, which in turn contribute significantly to the deformation and strength under long duration loads. Earlier studies have shown that the moisture changes due to the daily and annual variation in the surrounding air tend to be confined to the edges of practical size members. Therefore, prediction of the moisture content near the boundaries of a timber section becomes an important issue. This paper studies the mathematical solutions of the diffusion equation for the finite thickness element considering the effect of surface resistance. By introducing a surface attenuation factor, a simple approximate solution may be obtained. Procedures for evaluating the coefficients K and D are also discussed, together with some data on these values for radiata pine (Pinus radiata). The surface emission coefficient K is a function of air velocity V. A procedure for assessing this effect of the air velocity is also given.

A numerical example shows that the proposed approximate solution accurately predicts the cyclic range of moisture content for an ambient cyclic boundary condition. The procedures described herein can be easily extended to include the analysis of two-dimensional and three-dimensional elements.

References

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Published

2007-06-19

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Section

Research Contributions