Effect of Compressive Load on Shrinkage of Larch Blocks During Radio-Frequency Vacuum Heating

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of a compressive load of 0.092 MPa on the shrinkage of the larch blocks with sides of 40 mm each, when subjected to vacuum combined with radio-frequency heating. The shrinkages in the loading direction were significantly increased; for example, the tangential shrinkages of the blocks loaded compressively on their radial surfaces (loaded-RS), and the radial shrinkages of the blocks loaded compressively on their tangential surfaces (loaded-TS) were approximately one and one-half times as much as those for the load-free blocks. The shrinkages perpendicular to the loading direction were restrained, for example, the radial shrinkage for the loaded-RS, and the tangential shrinkage for the loaded-TS.