Surface checking in air-drying of boxed-heart softwood in Japan

In order to utilize air-drying effectively, the temperature and humidity levels at which surface checking in the early drying stages is still absent were examined. It was found that relative humidity affects the development of surface checking more than air temperature does. The optimum relative humidity level that eliminates surface checking and still allows drying was found to be between 80 and 90 percent when the air temperature is between 5? and 35?C. The moisture gradient near the wood surface when surface checking appears was larger than that without surface checking. If monthly-averaged relative humidity over 85 percent is assumed to be the suitable humidity condition for avoiding surface checking, the summer season in Japan is promising for extensive use of air-drying. It is possible to use air-drying with little surface checking for an average of 2.2 months per year in 19 of the 80 cities studied.

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