Experimental and Numerical Study of the Physico-Hygrothermal Behavior of Two Tropical Wood Species

Abstract

In the first stage. an integral saturation test of lignocellulosic materials was carried out on samples of wood under the control of a previously established theoretical basis. At the end of this test. parameters such as the porosity at saturation with water. the basal density. the total volume shrinkage. the linear shrinkages. the density at the saturation of the samples are deduced. The second stage of this work is based on the exploitation of the hot tape method to achieve the thermophysical properties of wood samples over a range of humidity levels from 0% to 60%. The last stage of this research consisted in developing in the laboratory a device for controlling the saturation rate of steam in order to determine the adsorption/desorption isotherms. the mass diffusivity and the water capacity of these same wood species at various temperature. The counting of the results resulting from these tests has pointed out. among other things. that gmelia arborea is a more hygroscopic. lighter and more thermally insulating wood than afzelia wood. It is also noted that the two species of wood have average shrinkage. anisotropy and nervousness suggesting good stability in service. It is also noticed that equilibrium moisture sorption by these species increases with increasing relative humidity at constant temperature. but decreases slightly as temperature increases at constant humidity. In short . this work reinforces the database on tropical woods by providing in particular more local measurements. allowing the reliable dimensioning of wooden structures.