Effect of Surface Pre-Treatment on Moisture Dynamics and Drying Defects in Air Drying of Large-Cross-Section Round Timber from Korean Red Pine

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Abstract

Large-cross-section timber is susceptible to defects such as surface checking and blue staining during the protraction process. Uncontrolled air drying without pre-treatment of these materials often leads to these defects and negatively impacts product quality and manufacturing costs. To address these issues, this study implemented real-time monitoring of temperature and moisture changes within the internal and external environments of the timber during drying. This research was conducted using Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora) round timber with a diameter of 45 cm under air-drying conditions. Untreated specimens were compared with those subjected to various surface pre-treatments (end sealing, end coating, and lateral coating). Changes in the amount of water released from timber were monitored using a load cell, while environmental and internal wood conditions were measured and recorded in real-time using a data logger with temperature and humidity sensors. The findings revealed that immediate air drying following debarking successfully mitigated blue staining, but it was consistently associated with the development of checks. Surface pre-treatments slowed the drying rate and consequently suppressed the occurrence of checking; however, defects were not entirely prevented. This study emphasizes the necessity of effective heat and moisture transfer control through appropriate physical quantity detection during large timber drying. These findings are expected to contribute to the optimization of drying processes and development of real-time monitoring technologies for industrial applications.

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