MOISTURE CONTENT DISTRIBUTION OF MULTIPLE EUCALYPTUS VENEERS DURING HOT-PRESS-DRYING

Ten Eucalyptus veneers were dried using a hot-press with a pressure of 0.2 MPa, temperature of 120 degrees C and pressing time of 30 mins. The horizontal and vertical moisture content (MC) fields of the veneers were examined during the hot-press-drying. The results showed that, in the horizontal direction, MC on the center of the veneers was slightly higher than that on the edge during the drying process. However, there was no significant difference between them. In the vertical direction, the MC field taking NO.4, NO.5, NO.6, NO.7 veneers as center were symmetrical. MC of veneers near the platen was low, while middle veneers' MC was high. 10 veneers were divided into 4 groups by symmetric position. There was a significant difference in veneers' MC of different groups, while the difference of veneers' MC in same group was not significant. Final MC of 10 veneers still had significant difference, while the range had reduced from 10.62 to 3.56 %, which meet the veneer drying requirement.