The Effect of Rays on the Differential Shrinkage of Red Oak

Radial shrinkage of broad ray tissue in red oak is only a small percentage of that of adjacent fiber tissue. The lower shrinkage of ray tissue may be partially explained by a lower fiber saturation point and density. There is no difference between radial and tangential shrinkage of fibers, suggesting no contribution to differential shrinkage in wood. Shrinkage of gross wood samples was found to lie between the limits determined by the shrinkage of the tissue types. As hypothesized in the ray-restraint theory, the radial shrinkage was only slightly higher than that of the ray cells. The restraining action of rays as an important factor contributing to differential transverse shrinkage cannot be disregarded.

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