Effect of Transverse Compressive Stress on Equilibrium Moisture Content of Wood

This study was conducted to determine the magnitude of the changes in equilibrium moisture content of dry wood when allowed to absorb moisture while restrained from swelling by a compressive stress equivalent to its swelling pressure. By calculating the stress developed as result of swelling restraint from the equilibrium moisture changes and the elastic deformation produced from differences in amounts of swelling between restrained and unrestrained specimens, bulk moduli and transverse Young’s moduli were determined. Calculated values of transverse Young’s moduli were found to be in general agreement with values Hearmon determined with the use of testing. machines. This signifies that the thermodynamic equations of Barkas, which were derived for a perfectly elastic material, are also applicable to wood, provided modifications are made to correct for plastic flow and stress relaxation.

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