Importance of drying wood

Wood after proper drying treatment can prevent cracking, warping, decay, improve strength and processing performance, reduce the weight of wood, and facilitate transportation. Therefore, wood drying is an essential technique to make rational use of this raw material.

Wood drying is a heating process under the condition of controlling the temperature and humidity, so that the moisture in the wood moves to the surface layer and evaporates. However, in order to achieve effective drying quality, it is necessary to adopt a proper drying process and operation method.

Wood is a porous material and a renewable natural resource, with the continuous improvement of people's living standards, more and more residents use wood to decorate their homes. However, due to the manufacture of wood products with poor drying quality, many losses are caused to the producer and the customer.

What are the benefits of drying wood? There are mainly the following aspects:

✓ Improves stability and wood products

We know that trees grow not only lengthwise, but also horizontally to increase the diameter of the trunk, so the processed wood of trees belongs to anisotropic materials. When wood is exposed to the air for a long time, 2 phenomena occur; expansion and contraction. Wood expands with increased air humidity and contracts with decreased air humidity. However, expansion and contraction from uneven drying of wood often causes cracking and warping, which will affect use and lead to waste.

The most common cracks and deformations of the wooden floor are mainly related to the quality of drying that the wood had. For example, some hardwood floors have large gaps between the joints after being laid a few days ago, which is mainly related to high moisture content before the floor was laid. If the wood is dried to the required moisture content and meets the drying quality requirements before use, the stability of the wooden structure can be ensured, making it beautiful in appearance and durable in use.

✓ Improves the strength and processing of wood

We know that wood is processed from trees that grow from thousands of cells. The cells that make up wood are composed of cell walls and cell cavities. When the water in wood exists only in the cell wall, we call it water absorption. If there is only water in the cell cavity. We call it free water. When there is no water in the cavities and there is only water in the cell wall, the strength of the wood begins to increase with the decrease in the moisture content in the wood.

It can be seen that when the wood is dried and the required moisture content is reached, not only the cutting performance can be improved, but also the strength of structural parts, the bond strength and the quality of the joint can be improved. decoration of wooden products. At the same time, thermal insulation can be improved by reducing thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity.

✓ Prevention of degradation and decomposition of wood

Wood is a natural polymeric aggregate, composed primarily of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, but also contains a small amount of resin, gum, and pigment. If damp wood is stored outdoors for a long time, and if proper protective measures are not taken, decay or insect infestation will occur. Therefore, after the wood is dried at about 60°C, and the moisture content is reduced below 20%, the invasion and destruction of fungi and pests can be greatly reduced. In some production units, drying the wood to a moisture content of 8% to 15% not only ensures the inherent properties and strength of the wood, but also improves the corrosion resistance of the wood.

When it comes to quality, service and value, count on TROCKNNER Dryers!