A NUMERICAL-ANALYSIS TECHNIQUE TO EVALUATE THE MOISTURE-DEPENDENT DIFFUSION-COEFFICIENT ON MOISTURE MOVEMENT DURING DRYING

The conventional method of determining the diffusion coefficient of wo od as a function of moisture content is based largely on the moisture content profile data using a slicing technique. This method is destruc tive and subject to inherent error because it uses average moisture co ntent values and different samples at various drying times. This paper describes an alternative nondestructive approach using a numerical te chnique to evaluate the moisture-dependent diffusion coefficient using drying curves. It gives an accurate prediction of moisture movement t hrough the entire drying process.