Investigation of thermal conductive properties of structural timbers at low temperature region using solid carbon dioxide as a chilling agent

Abstract

Knowledge of the thermal conductive properties of wood at low temperatures aids the development and optimization of the application of a lethal cold temperature treatment for drywood termites. The present study investigates the relationship between the thermal conductive properties of wood at low temperatures and important factors, namely, the microstructural and anisotropy of wood using two types of solid carbon dioxide as a chilling agent. The results indicate that the thermal conductive properties of wood at low temperatures are mainly affected by the composition and morphological properties of wood (i.e., density/ratio of earlywood and latewood, proportion of heartwood and sapwood, pattern of growth ring). In particular, thermal conductive properties are mainly dependent on the pattern of the growth ring itself at low temperatures.