Jobno6 Determination of Moisture Content of Wood: Objective

Job No 6
Determination of Moisture Content of Wood

Objective:
The objective of this job is to find out the moisture content of wood. Moisture in
wood affects physical; mechanical properties of wood and in-service performance
as it influences product selection and installation practices. This job provides
background information on the relationships between water and wood and where
this knowledge should be applied.
Significance:
1. Chemically, wood consists mainly of cellulose and another material known
as lignin. Other substances such as water, resin, etc. are also present. Its
weight depends on
The amount of wood substance in the cell walls and
The amount of water which is contained in it in different forms
In seasoned and dried wood, the second factor is not of much importance, but in
green wood water plays a very important part. Sap wood contains the most
water. Water is contained in the substance of the living cells where it saturates
the walls of the cells and also fills, in the form of free moisture, the cavities of all
lifeless cells, fibres and vessels.
When timber dries, its cell walls shrink in the cross section. Since the wood cells
in the same timber vary in thickness, unequal shrinkage often takes place
resulting in stresses which tend to split and warp the timber. The ends of green
timber dry faster than the interior portion, thus producing end cracks. The
tendency to crack is also known as checking of the timber, to prevent which it is
customary to place strips of thin iron around the ends of wooden logs and
sleepers.
A log shrinks tangentially to the annual rings, i.e. along the circumference of a
log, much more than radially and the former leads to permanent checks and
cracks. Longitudinal shrinkage is practically negligible.
2. It is necessary to dry timber for many applications. When timber is dried, a
number of benefits are achieved as follows: Greater dimensional stability with the timber less prone to distortion and
smaller shrinkage gaps in applications such as flooring
less susceptible to insect attack and prevention from fungal attack
providing the timber remains dry
Improved strength and stiffness properties enabling the timber to take
higher loads with less deflection
reduced weight making it lighter to handle
better machining characteristics providing a smoother machined surface
acceptance of a wider range of glues and finishes
ability to accept preservative and other treatments
It is for these reasons that much of the timber used for both internal and external
applications has been dried.
Related Theory:
Wood: Wood suitable for building or engineering purposes is called timber. It is a
hard fibrous material. Engineers are the principal users of timber for structural
purposes and in order that they may use it to the best advantage, it is necessary
that they should be well informed regarding the properties and uses of this very
valuable material. Moreover, wood is in the following categories:
Saw Dust
Natural Wood
Artificial Wood
Moisture Content: In the timber industry the amount of moisture present in

timber (or its moisture content) is defined as the mass of water present in the
timber divided by the mass of the timber with all water removed, expressed as a
percentage. The mass (measured in grams or kilograms) of water present can be
determined from the difference in the mass of the timber with water (initial
mass) to the mass of timber with the water removed (oven dry mass). Hence the
following equation is used to determine the moisture content of timber:
%M.C. = mass of water present x 100%
oven dry mass
=
initial mass - oven dry mass x 100%

oven dry mass
The structure of the cells in timber can be likened to a number of drinking straws
glued together. If the straws were full of water it could be expected that the mass
of water contained in the straws would be greater than the mass of the drinking
straws alone. In such a case the moisture content as calculated above would
exceed 100%.
In a tree the moisture content may be as low as 40% but can be as high as
180%. Green off saw timber could therefore have moisture contents of 180%,
which means the timber contains 1.8 kg of water for every 1.0 kg of dry timber
that is present. In softwoods such as radiata pine and Araucaria average
moisture contents of 180 % or more often occur. In many of our common
hardwoods the moisture content may be no greater than 70%. Cypress, a
softwood that grows in drier areas, may only have average green moisture
contents of 45%. There can also be sizeable variations in moisture content
between the outer sapwood of a tree to the inner heartwood.
Apparatus:
Weighing Balance
Electric Oven (110oC 5oC)
Test Specimen:
Wooden Sample
Procedure:
Precautions:
No overheating.
Sample should not be printed.
Take weight of sample immediately after drying from oven.
Observations and Calculations:

Sr.
No
.
Sample
Name
1
2
3
Comments:
Group
No.
Initial
Mass
W2 (g)
Oven
Dry
Mass
W1 (g)
Moisture
Content
%M.C.
Avg.
Moisture
Content
%M.C.

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Job No 6

Determination of Moisture Content of Wood

Moisture Content: In the timber industry the amount of moisture present in

initial mass - oven dry mass x 100%

Observations and Calculations:

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