An Investigation on Drying Process: An Experimental Approach - Progress in Organic and Physical Chemistry: Structures and Mechanisms - page 160

this movement of moisture can be accepted as being a combination of capillary À ow
and moisture diffusion, a process which is resisted by the structure of the wood, par-
ticularly in dense hardwood species. If the rate of water loss by evaporation exceeds
the rate at which moisture from the wet interior can pass to the surface, the moisture
gradient within the wood becomes progressively steeper.

FIGURE 1 Average moisture content versus time (Conventional hot air-dried wood at T =

40°C).

FIGURE 2 Drying rate curve (Conventional hot air-dried wood at T = 40°C).