Abstract
ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the behavior of samples of juvenile and mature Eucalyptus cloeziana wood when subjected to the drying process, and the influence of the anatomy on that behavior. In order to do this, saturated specimens from this woods measuring 10 × 5 × 1 cm were subjected to drastic drying at 100 °C, where the drying rates and the end check scores in different steps of the process were obtained. The fibers and vessels morphology, initial moisture and basic density were analyzed to help understanding the data obtained in the drying test. The juvenile wood presented 26% higher drying rate and 21% smaller drying time, also 53% higher end check score. Smaller fibers length and fibers wall thickness, higher vessels frequency and smaller vessels diameter were associated with higher total drying rate and water adsorption, as well as with the higher end check score.
Highlights
The varied anatomical composition and the different organization forms of the anatomical components in the trunk result in the wood heterogeneity
No statistical difference was observed between basic densities and initial moistures of juvenile and mature woods, showing that these wood properties did not vary greatly in the pith-to-bark direction
The juvenile wood presented total drying rate (R1) 26% higher than the mature wood. These results indicate that drying occurs, generally, more quickly in juvenile wood than in mature wood, even though the juvenile wood is heartwood and the densities of juvenile and mature wood are similar
Summary
The varied anatomical composition and the different organization forms of the anatomical components in the trunk result in the wood heterogeneity. Depending on the moisture take up or release, the wood behaves differently according to the orthotropic directions: radial, tangential and axial (Kollmann & Côté, 1968). This heterogeneity is potentiated over the years by the wood formation process from the cambium. It is known that a wood load to be subjected to conventional kiln-drying should consist of pieces from the same species (Pratt, 1974) or, if they are from different species, which have similar properties (Eleoterio et al, 2015). Special attention should be paid to the differences between juvenile and mature wood properties
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