Varying moisture content and eigen-stresses in timber elements

Abstract

The load-bearing capacity of timber elements and systems is affected by moisture exposure. Varying moisture content in the ambient air and resulting non-uniform moisture profiles on cross-sections generate stresses perpendicular to grain because of restraint of hygroexpansion. This paper presents effects of indoor moisture diffusion in timber elements; moisture profiles within member and corresponding stresses are determined using finite element analysis and a relevant constitutive model. The stress variability is larger near the surface compared with the middle of a cross-section. No major differences are noticed between different climatic locations, but the induced stresses reach high levels above the characteristic strength in tension perpendicular to grain. It appears that indoor moisture effects differ insignificantly between the different climatic locations investigated in this study.     

Effect of moisture content of members on mechanical properties of timber joints

To investigate the effect of moisture content (MC) of members on the mechanical properties of timber joints, bending tests of precut joints and shear tests of dowel-type joints were carried out using timbers of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) with three moisture conditions: green, kiln-dried with a MC target of 15%, and over-kiln-dried with a MC target of 5%. For the bending test, timbers were processed with a precut processing machine into “koshikake-ari” (a kind of dovetail joint) and “koshikake-kama” (a kind of mortise and tenon joint). A pair of members was jointed together without mechanical fasteners. Bolts (diameter = 12 mm) and nails (diameter = 2.45 mm) were used as dowels in the shear test. Bolted joints were constructed with one bolt and two metal side plates. Two nails and two metal side plates were used for the nailed joint. For precut joints, no clear effect of MC was recognized on maximum moment and initial stiffness. The maximum strength of mechanical joints assembled with kiln-dried wood was changed by the degree of drying. Stiffness of the joints assembled with kiln-dried specimens was larger than that of the joints assembled with green specimens.Part of this study was presented at the 7th International IUFRO Wood Drying Conference, Tsukuba, July 2001     

Predicting moisture content and density distribution of Scots pine by microwave scanning of sawn timber

This study was carried out to investigate the possibility of calibrating a prediction model for the moisture content and density distribution of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) using microwave sensors. The material was initially of green moisture content and was thereafter dried in several steps to zero moisture content. At each step, all the pieces were weighed, scanned with a microwave sensor (Satimo 9,4GHz), and computed tomography (CT)-scanned with a medical CT scanner (Siemens Somatom AR.T.). The output variables from the microwave sensor were used as predictors, and CT images that correlated with known moisture content were used as response variables. Multivariate models to predict average moisture content and density were calibrated using the partial least squares (PLS) regression. The models for average moisture content and density were applied at the pixel level, and the distribution was visualized. The results show that it is possible to predict both moisture content distribution and density distribution with high accuracy using microwave sensors.     

The potential of high-yield plantation forestry for meeting timber needs

This study examines the performance and potential of intensively managed plantation forests as a source of industrial wood, and their environmental implications. The perspective of the study is global. Although it includes the United States and parts of Europe, much of the focus is on what are called the emerging plantation regions -- countries largely in the semitropical areas of the southern hemisphere -- which have not historically been important wood producers, but are growing in importance as a result of the productivity of their planted forests. The first section of this paper documents the growing importance of plantations as a source of industrial wood since the late 1970s. The study finds that plantations from nontraditional (new) regions have been growing rapidly in size and economic importance, and, thus, have been playing an increasing role as a source of the world industrial wood. Furthermore, experience seems to suggest that plantations are playing an environmentally beneficial role in (1) reducing pressure on greater areas of natural forests and (2) generating positive environmental effects as they replace degraded marginal agricultural lands. The second section of the paper examines the likely role of plantation forests in the future, and includes an assessment of financial, political and environmental considerations. This section pays particular attention to the concerns frequently expressed by environmentalists regarding plantations. Many of the objections directed at forest plantations on environmental grounds appear to ignore the substantial beneficial role of plantations on the environment. Plantations, which are financially very attractive in many locations, offer the potential of meeting large portions of the world industrial wood needs even while reducing substantially the disturbances on large areas of natural forests. This is possible because the very high productivity of plantation forests requires less area to produce industrial wood.     

Testing the durability of timber above ground: A review on methodology

The majority of timber products in outdoor use are exposed above ground, e.g. façades, terrace decking, playground equipment, garden furniture, windows, balconies or carports. In contrast, the durability of wood and wood products is most often determined in laboratory against Basidiomycete monocultures or in-ground field tests, where wood samples are submitted to permanent wetting. Worldwide, only a few above ground field test methods evaluating durability against fungal decay have been standardized. Wood used in above ground situations can be exposed to a wide range of moisture loads reflecting different design details such as varying shelter, distance to ground, ventilation and water trapping, whereas temperature and rainfall variations are overall influences on service life performance. The aim of this review was to gather information about standardized and non-standardized above ground field test methods used to determine the durability of wood and wood-based products. In total, more than 60 methods have been evaluated according to different criteria, such as principle set-up and design, severity of exposure and distance to ground. Their suitability to reflect a certain exposure under real-life conditions is discussed as well as practical aspects regarding acceleration measures, decay assessment and practicability, costs and time efforts.     

Short hold times in dynamic vapor sorption measurements mischaracterize the equilibrium moisture content of wood

Recently, the dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) technique has been used to measure sorption isotherms and develop moisture-mechanics models for wood and cellulosic materials. This method typically involves measuring the time-dependent mass response of a sample following step changes in relative humidity (RH), fitting a kinetic model to the data, and extrapolating the asymptotic mass. A series of steps covering the full RH range is used to generate the sorption isotherm. The majority of prior DVS data were taken with hold times of either 60 min or until the change in moisture content was <0.002% per minute over a 10-min period. Here, DVS measurements on wood and isolated wood polymers are presented where the hold times at certain relative humidity steps were much longer, ranging between 24 and 50 h. The data clearly show that the criteria for hold time in previous DVS measurements result in significant errors in prediction of the asymptotic mass. Although the data at short times are consistent with previous measurements, the data exhibit slow sorption behavior with characteristic times on the order of 500–2000 min that cannot be identified with shorter hold times. The results suggest that new hold time criteria need to be developed for dynamic vapor sorption measurements in wood.     

刚果12号桉W5无性系立木木材密度与含水率关系的初探

本文主要是对刚果12号桉w5无性系立木材密度与含水率的关系进行分析和探讨。分析结果表明两者相关程度达高度紧密程度,相关显著性达极显著水平,回归公式估测精度甚高,回归方程在本林区适用。     

Market analysis for timber and forest products in China

lntroductionChina'sterritoryisvast,buttheforestedareaisless.About29%areaofChinaisdesertandbaremOuntains(Zhangetal.1997).ThefourthnationaIforestsurvey,whichwasconductedbytheMinistryofForestryin1989~1993,indicatesthat133.7millionhm2or13.92%oftheIandareaofChinaareforest.Thestockoflivingtreesis11.785bilIionm',ofwhich1o.1biIIionisinforest.Thenetgrowthofstandingvolumeiso.4biIIionm3peryear,whiIethecutisO.3billionm',ofwhichatleastonethirdisfarfueIwood.Sotheforestresourcesarenotrich,forestcoveri…     

Quality of timber products from Norway spruce

Summary In a previous paper in this series it was concluded that the warp (twist, crook and bow) of structural timber products is of utmost importance for end-user satisfaction. In this paper, a study of the spatial variation of warp of fast-grown Norway spruce is presented. The material, 372 studs (45 × 70 × 2900 mm²), was cut from different radial and longitudinal positions in trees from two stands.The results indicated that twist and crook were at maximum near the pith. However, twist decreased much more rapidly with the distance from pith compared with crook. Crook associated with core studs was larger in the butt log than in the top log, while twist and bow in core studs appeared not to vary longitudinally. Heartwood formation in the butt log juvenile core did not diminish warp propensity. Twist was rather well correlated to the distance between pith and centroid of cross section. The ratio of grain angle to pith distance was the best parameter to predict twist. Presence of compression wood increased bow and crook significantly, while ring width, density and knot area ratio did not substantially contribute to explain warp variation.A moisture content change from 18% to 12% decreased the overall acceptability, expressed by stud grade yield, from 76% to 43%. Thus, timber products should be delivered at a moisture level close to the one expected in the finalized building in order to avoid excessive warp after delivery.The authors gratefully acknowledge the support from EEC Forest programme, Contract No MA2B-0024, from NUTEK project No 9100554 and from Södra Timber AB     

Fixed-fixed flexural vibration testing method of beams for timber guardrails

Resonance frequencies of beams with various types of end supports were examined for flexural vibration. Rectangular beams with dimensions of 300 (L) × 25 (R) × 5 or 10mm (T) were used as the test specimens. Various compressing stresses were applied to the parts around both ends of a test beam and flexural vibration tests were conducted. The measured resonance frequency started to increase from the resonance frequency of a beam with simply supported ends and was stable around the resonance frequency of a beam with fixed ends as the compressing stress increased. The stable resonance frequency was lower than the theoretical value because perfect fixation of a beam to a post was difficult. From these results, the temporal change in resonance frequency itself, rather than the stable resonance frequency, is effective to examine whether a beam has enough strength as a guardrail.     

Quality of timber products from Norway spruce

Summary Strength and stiffness together with some properties characterizing the stand and the growth of trees were studied. Specimens (45 × 70 × 2900 mm³) were cut from different radial and longitudinal positions, from fast-grown trees from two stands in southern Sweden. These trees had relatively large annual rings (4–6 mm) and were not representative of Norway spruce in Sweden but are an example of the intensivelymanaged stands which will probably constitute a substantial part of the raw material supply in the future.The results indicate that the mean values for strength and stiffness were lowest for the core studs and increased further away from the pith. This radial variation in strength and stiffness appears to be associated with the variation in ring width. Density alone, on the other hand, does not explain the radial variation but should be used together with either ring width or knot area ratio to explain the stiffness and strength respectively. The increase in the strength and stiffness of the core studs from the butt logs to the top logs was significant. Density alone was found to be the best variable to explain the longitudinal variation between the butt logs and the top logs. The heartwood formation in the butt log juvenile core appeared not to have a positive effect on strength and stiffness. The occurrence of compression wood, the magnitude of grain angle and the margin knot area ratio had only a minor effect on strength and stiffness.The authors gratefully acknowledge the support received from the EEC forest research programme, Contract no MA2B-0024, from NUTEK, project no 9100554 and from Södra Timber AB     

Quality of timber products from Norway spruce

Summary The overall aim of this study and series of papers is to address the key variables for timber quality and to optimize the utilization of Norway spruce timber with respect to construction purposes. It is the end-user's degree of overall satisfaction that determines the quality of a product. Therefore, the performance of structural timber cannot solely be defined by mechanical properties. Geometric performance (warp) must be improved if timber is to continue as an important building material.An experimental study of the spatial variation in warp and bending properties of fast-grown Norway spruce is introduced. In this paper, the growth characteristics are presented as a function of stand and location in the tree. The knot area ratio (KAR) was considerably higher in the core (0.31) compared with timber closer to bark (0.21). The top log studs had higher KAR (0.38) than the corresponding butt log studs (0.31). The average grain angle was 3.5% ( 2°) and appeared not to vary radially. The presence of compression wood was much more common in the top log timber (75%) than in the butt log (44%). However, no consistent radial variation in compression wood was found.The authors gratefully acknowledge the support from EEC Forest programme, Contract No. MA2B-0024 and from Södra Timber AG from NUTEK project No. 9100554     

The effects of sudden oak death on foliar moisture content and crown fire potential in tanoak

The introduction of non-native pathogens can have profound effects on forest ecosystems resulting in loss of species, changes in species composition, and altered fuel structure. The introduction of Phytophthora ramorum, the pathogen recognized as causing Sudden Oak Death (SOD), leads to rapid decline and mortality of tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus) in forests of coastal California, USA. We tracked foliar moisture content (FMC) of uninfected tanoaks, SOD-infected tanoaks, SOD-killed (dead) tanoaks, and surface litter for 12 months. We found that FMC values differed significantly among the three categories of infection. FMC of uninfected tanoaks averaged 82.3% for the year whereas FMC of infected tanoaks had a lower average of 77.8% (ANOVA, P = 0.04). Dead trees had a significantly lower FMC, averaging 12.3% (ANOVA, P < 0.01) for the year. During fire season (June–September), dead tanoak FMC reached a low of 5.8%, with no significant difference between dead canopy fuels and surface litter (ANOVA, P = 0.44). Application of low FMC values to a crown ignition model results in extremely high canopy base height values to escape crown ignition. Remote estimation of dead FMC using 10-h timelag fuel moisture shows a strong correlation between remote automated weather station (RAWS) 10-h timelag fuel moisture data and the FMC of dead leaves (R² = 0.78, P < 0.01). Results from this study will help refine the decision support tools for fire managers in SOD-affected areas as well as conditions in other forests where diseases and insect epidemics have altered forest canopy fuels.     

木材含水率测定方法的比较研究

为修订国家标准“CB1931—80木材含水率测定方法”提供依据,本文对含树脂和挥发性物质较多的马尾松等5种木材,采用烘干法、真空干燥法和蒸馏法进行含水率测定的比较。结果表明,烘干法简便实用,但所测得的含水率结果比真空干燥法和蒸馏法为高,如果试样含有较多的挥发性物质,应用烘干法测定含水率误差偏大时,可采用真空干燥法。     

Effect of specimen structural orientation on the moisture content — water potential relationship of wood

Summary The boundary desorption curve of the moisture content — water potential relationship of aspen sapwood was determined at 20 °C by the tension plate and pressure membrane methods for three specimen structural orientations and four imposed water potential values. The results show that the relationship is independent of the wood structural direction considered. Also, they further demonstrate that the discrepancies observed in a previous study between the moisture content — water potential relationships obtained with specimens of different structural orientations were due to a lack of equilibrium.This research was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada through operating grant no. OGP0121954     

Nondestructive testing method of wood moisture content based on a planar capacitance sensor model

For our research, a new hybrid experimental-computational method is presented. We applied a least squares fitting     

The viscoelasticity of wood at varying moisture content

Wood is regarded as a viscoelastic material. Creep deformations that arise from variations in the moisture content are described by a theory of hydroviscoelasticity developed by the author. Two different types of behaviour have been apparent: one, arising from a continuously increasing strain with periodic variation in the moisture content, and another with no cumulative effect. The theory has been applied to previously published experimental results concerned with beech, pine, hoop pine, klinki pine, along with birch and spruce plywood. Birch and spruce plywood have been used for experiments concerned with periodically-cycling bending moment and moisture content. The results obtained have been compared with the theory presented. Glue-laminated beams have been subjected to long-term outdoor loading extending for five years. A brief discussion is given of the results obtained.     

Bioenergy from the forest sector: Economic potential and interactions with timber and forest products markets in Norway

Abstract

A partial equilibrium forest sector model which is augmented to include bioenergy was applied to project the use of bioenergy based on forest fuels and forest industry by-products in Norway for three different scenarios of the future prices of electricity and oil. The impacts on forestry and forest industries of the different energy price scenarios were also studied. The advantage of the suggested methodology is that it allows for assessments of the economic potential of bioenergy, taking into account the competition for raw materials, the specific heat demand of various regions, and interregional and international trade. Bioenergy will, according to this study, be fairly competitive in some market segments with the current price levels of electricity and oil, and only a minor increase (decrease) in energy (roundwood) prices would release substantially increased bioenergy production levels. Pulpwood prices of pine and non-coniferous species are projected to increase substantially when assuming increasing energy prices. Except for particleboard mills, production levels of forest industries appeared relatively insensitive to the energy price changes.     

Treatment of timber products with gaseous borate esters

Summary Several factors which influence the treatment of timber products with vapour phase preservatives such as borate esters are considered. Gas flow rate through the substrate was found to be a significant factor limiting both preservative penetration and its rate of deposition. A theoretical model of the treatment process was developed and tested experimentally to determine the influence of several factors on the retention and distribution of boric acid. Gas flow into the timber product was influenced by permeability, pressure gradient and substrate moisture content. The implications of the findings are considered with regard to the treatment of wood and wood products with gaseous reagents.The authors wish to thank the following for their financial support and interest in this research programme — Rentokil Ltd, Rhone-Poulenc/Manchem Ltd, Forestry Commission, UK and Ireland Particleboard Association (now Panel Products Association), Norbord Highland plc (formerly Highland Forest Products plc), IMPEL     

Treatment of timber products with gaseous borate esters

This paper forms a continuation of the work on treatment of timber products with gaseous borate esters. Turner and Murphy (1995) in an earlier paper indicated that gas flow rate into the wood substrate was the principle factor limiting the rate of boric acid retention and the depth of penetration into wood products. The current paper considers the impact of this factor on treatment efficacy and considers experimental work designed to evaluate qualitatively, the impact of proposed modifications to the process. Significant improvements in treatment performance were observed.