Physical and Mechanical Properties of Archaeological Wood

The literature on physical and mechanical properties of archaeological wood is given. The density of wood in response to agents of deterioration. Measurement of density and its relationship to other wood properties are discussed. Sorption characteristics are affected by the ageing process and by deterioration. Deterioration in turn leads to changes in normal shrinkage and, eventually, the introduction of collapse shrinkage. Mechanical properties also change, and these changes are not usually distributed uniformly through the thickness of wood objects.