More efficient drying
Convective drying of timber as seen in Swedish sawmills never strictly follows the recommended schedules given by simulation programs. Specially for thicker board dimensions, the empirical adjustments diverge considerably in terms of temperature, relative humidity, and time. These modifications allow the sawmills to shorten this energy-consuming stage of the process without decreasing the mechanical properties of the products.
The aim of this CT WOOD project is to experimentally confirm this observation and investigate the possible physical mechanisms explaining it to improve drying models. Both simulated and more aggressive schedules are performed in an experimental kiln. The water-transport during the different phases of drying is tracked by X-ray computed tomography. The most important quality parameters such as target moisture content, crack formation and deformations are also measured. The data acquired will also be used in cooperation with the CT WOOD project “Modelling of moisture flow, stress, and distortion of sawn timber” for a finite element model of timber-drying.
Project information
Subject: Drying of sawn timber
Time project: May 2021 - December 2021
Contact
Boris Poupet
- Doctoral Student
- 0910-581931
- boris.poupet@ltu.se
- Boris Poupet
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