The study of moisture migration in Norway Spruce may reduce the discrepancy between measurements and simulations of transfers in buildings and thus be helpful for improving their performance and durability. For this purpose, X-ray imaging was used to study moisture migration in Norway spruce during imbibition at tissue level. Moisture content kinetics in earlywood and latewood, based on X-ray attenuation, was observed and measured through rigorous protocol. The imbibition process was studied in both longitudinal and radial directions. The results showed an easier migration of liquid in latewood than in earlywood in the longitudinal uptake. In the radial direction, the impact of compression wood as a barrier and the role of the anatomical structure in the liquid migration were highlighted by the direct visualization of filled tracheids.
In the wooden construction, structural elements are particularly exposed to external climatic conditions during the construction phase. To ensure their durability over their expected lifespan, the required drying time have to be known after a rain shower and before closing the timber structures. This question, involving coupled heat and mass transfer, can be investigated through numerical tools. The aim of this work is to provide experimental data through X-ray imaging to validate the prediction potential of computational models simulating transfer in porous media. Two complementary methods were developed to access the water migration in Norway spruce. The first one allowed to quantitatively measure spatial distribution of moisture content over time. It is based on a rigorous treatment of the X-ray beam attenuation. The second method, using a high-resolution 3D reconstruction, highlighted the role of wood rays on liquid migration within the porous network.
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