Stress-Strain Relationship of Drying Wood. Part 1: Development of a Constitutive Model

A constitutive model describing the stress-strain relations of wood under conditions of wood drying is presented. The relations are valid for the behaviour perpendicular to grain in one dimension. The model is evaluated against test results. Analyses show that the mechano-sorptive effect in the tested material, Scots pine, is larger if restraint is imposed on the wood than if the load is constant. The model can be used in simulations of practical drying situations to estimate the risk of checking.