THE EFFECT OF AIR VELOCITY ON THE CHARACTERISTICS PRODUCED BY CONVENTIONAL DRYING OF Tectona grandis L.f. WOOD

Resumo

The effect of air velocity of 2.5 and 3.5 ms^-1 was evaluated in the artificial drying of eight loads of 60 boards each, at two height positions of the shaft: the base and the top, with initial humidity in green and in the PSF by air drying, using twenty Tectona grandis Lf trees from a 33-year-old plantation in Chanchamayo, Peru. The drying time, rate, and quality of the wood were determined. In air drying, the Pearson correlation was positive linear between the free water drying rate with temperature (0.997) and air velocity (0.987), and negative linear with relative air humidity (-0.996), precipitation (-0.97), and drying time (-0.976). The artificial drying time of the wood showed a significant direct relationship with the initial humidity level, and an inverse relationship with the air velocity. The drying rate of free water showed a significant direct relationship with the air velocity, while it was significantly higher than that of hygroscopic water. The position of the wood at the height of the shaft did not significantly influence the time and rate of both air and artificial drying. The quality of the wood drying did not show significant dependence on the air velocity, the position of the wood at the height of the shaft, and on the initial drying humidity. The drying defects observed do not compromise the production of quality products with a uniform final moisture content of 10%.