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Abstract
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 chapter discusses the macroscopic physical properties of wood with emphasis given to their relationship with moisture content. Some properties are species-dependent; in such cases, data from the literature are tabulated according to species. The chapter begins with a broad overview of wood–water relations, defining key concepts needed to understand the physical properties of wood.
Parent Publication
Keywords
wood,
moisture,
water,
water vapor,
sorption,
adsorption,
absorption,
moisture content,
fiber saturation point,
physical properties,
density,
specific gravity,
dimensional stability,
shrinkage,
swelling,
thermal properties,
thermal conductivity,
heat capacity,
electrical properties
Citation
Glass, S.V.; Zelinka, S.L. 2021. Chapter 4: Moisture relations and physical properties of wood. In: Wood handbook—wood as an engineering material. General Technical Report FPL-GTR-282. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. 22 pp.
