The Influence of Moisture Content on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Wood

In The Influence of Moisture Content on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Wood, you'll learn ...

• The relationship between equilibrium moisture content, relative humidity and temperature
• The relationship between moisture content and shrinkage
• What is required for a wood specimen to reach dimensional stability
• The four primary thermal properties of wood and how they are impacted by moisture content

Overview

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Credit: 2 CPD

Length: 20 pages

Wood, like many natural materials, is hygroscopic; it takes on moisture from the surrounding environment. Moisture exchange between wood and air depends on the relative humidity and temperature of the air and the current amount of water in the wood. This moisture relationship has an important influence on wood properties and performance. Many of the challenges of using wood as an engineering material arise from changes in moisture content or an abundance of moisture within the wood.

This course discusses the macroscopic physical properties of wood with emphasis given to their relationship with moisture content. A basic understanding of the physical properties of wood is desirable since these properties affect a wide variety of structural shapes that are manufactured from wood.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Describe the moisture content of green wood.
• Explain fiber saturation and maximum moisture content in wood.
• Describe the mechanisms of water absorption in wood.
• Compare transverse, volumetric, and longitudinal shrinkage.
• Identify shrinkage values for a variety of domestic and imported woods.
• Explain the commonly used bases for expressing the volume and density of wood.
• Apply methods for calculating wood density.
• Analyze the factors that affect the thermal conductivity and heat capacity of wood.
• Explain how water content affects the coefficient of thermal expansion of wood.
• Describe the AC and DC electrical properties of wood, including resistivity, dielectric constant, and impedance.
• Identify the coefficients of static and kinetic friction for wood.

Certificate of Completion

You will be able to immediately print a certificate of completion after passing a multiple-choice quiz consisting of 15 questions. CPD credits are not awarded until the course is completed and quiz is passed.