Detection of wood properties using a heating and cooling method - I. Detection of wood density

The possibility of automatic determination of wood density based on heat pr operties was investigated. As the heat capacity of wood is related to its d ensity, the temperature of heated wood surfaces during cooling might be rel ated to wood density. After heating the wood samples in the temperature ran ge of 135 similar to 270 degrees C and the time range of 30 similar to 120 seconds, the temperature of the surface of the wood samples was measured du ring cooling at 20 degrees C. The temperature of the wood surfaces decrease d with increasing cooling time, and the relation of the temperature (K) and the cooling time (T) could be shown by an experimental equation as follows . K = m(1) log T + n(1) (m(1), n(1): constant) The relation between the constant m(1) and wood density was expressed by a linear regression line with a high coefficient of correlation. The density of wood could be determined by measuring temperature more than two times at suitable intervals in the cooling time range of 10 similar to 90 seconds a nd calculating the slope m(1) of the above experimental equation.