Drying Stress and Strain in Tension Wood: A Conventional Kiln Schedule to Efficiently Dry Mixed Tension/Normal Wood Boards in Poplar

Orthotropic drying stresses of tension and normal wood in poplar were evaluated. The degree of residual stresses was interpreted by prong and slice cutting tests. A strain gauge was employed to determine longitudinal drying stresses. Mixed tension/normal wood boards were also dried using three different schedules, T8 F4, T8 F5, and T9 F4 to find the best schedule. Results revealed more intense drying stress in the longitudinal and radial directions of tension wood. Despite a high susceptibility of the mixed tension/normal wood boards to drying defects, the quality of the boards dried by the schedule of T9 F4 was satisfactory.