Experimental Examinations on the Phenomenon of Transfer and Moisture Diffusion in Wood

목재내(木材內)의 수분확산(水分擴散) 및 전달현상(傳達現象)에 관한 실험적 검정(檢定)

The purpose of this study is to clarify the mechanism of moisture transfer depend on the thickness of the spruce(Picea sitchensis Carr.). Therefore, as the basic research of moisture transmission, the amount of moisture transmission and the moisture distribution in specimens and temperature of it's surfaces in vapor transmission process were investigated. The experiment was conducted in a steady state. and the moisture distribution was measured by knife cutting and weighing the specimens. The following conclusions were obtained ; 1. It can be found that distribution of moisture in the specimen can be approximated by two different straight lines intersecting at nine or ten percent moisture content. The amount of moisture movement defends on the gradient of moisture in the wood. 2. It is investigated that the wood surface moisture contents(MCs) are less for thinner specimens than for thick ones on the absorption side. On the other hand, the wood surface MCs are greater for thinner specimens than for thick ones on the desorption side. The main factor that affects the EMC of wood would be temperature when the relative humidity of atmosphere is constant. The specimen generate heat with the absorption and desorption process. In addition, the velocities of moisture transmission varied with the thicknesses of specimens. If the temperature of wood becomes greater, its MC decreases. Then the difference between surface MC and EMC of adsorption and desorption side becomes greater for thinner specimens. Therefore it is considered that the coefficients of moisture transfer decreases with the increases of the specimens' thicknesses.