Summary
This study develops a method to theoretically calculate ovendry softwood resistance and resistivity based on block transformation theory. The resistance of a single cell was calculated as the sum of a combination of serial and parallel connections of the two end cell walls, four side cell walls and cell cavity. One cell was considered as a resistor, and the wood as a network of single cell resistors. Resistance was calculated for a group of four resistors. After several iterations, the total resistance of wood was obtained. To test the model, experiments were conducted on Masson pine specimens. The resistances of fifty specimens were measured and their resistivities calculated. A comparison of the theoretical calculations and the measured results revealed a difference between the measured average resistivity of specimens and the model calculations of less than 8%. The resistivity of softwood was found to relate to the size of wood cells, amount of ray cells and the percentage of latewood.
Copyright © 2003 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG
