Establishing Kiln Drying Schedule for Beech (Fagus orientalis) at 5-cm Thickness from the Neka Region

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To establish a kiln drying schedule for beech (Fagus orientalis) lumber, 5-cm-thick boards were kiln dried down to a final moisture content of 8%. Three replications were made utilizing three kiln schedules of T5-C3, T5-C4, and T6-C4. With due attention to the effect of thickness on wood drying intensity, the t-test showed no significant difference between the thicknesses of the three drying schedules at a significance level of 99%. Therefore, the results of this study can be applied for 5-cm-thick boards. The primary dry bulb temperature in each of the three schedules was adjusted to 41°C and the final dry bulb temperatures were adjusted to 71, 71, and 82°C, respectively. The schedule offering the shortest drying time for the desired quality was chosen. Specific gravity and dry specific gravity were measured as 0.52 and 0.61, respectively. Longitudinal, radial, tangential, and volumetric shrinkage were 0.46, 5.8, 10.2, 16.48%, respectively. The extent of defects including crook, bow, twist, and three longest surface checks of the lumber was determined for each drying schedule. Quality control graphs were used to analyze the lumber defects in order to determine the best drying schedule. Analysis of the results indicates that with either of three kiln schedules the extent of defects before and after drying was not statistically different. However, the distribution of defects in the third schedule (T6-C4) was more uniform with respect to the average line compared to other two schedules. At the end of this schedule, a 17-h equalization and 24-h conditioning treatment is recommended.