Effects of moisture content and temperature on acoustic velocity and dynamic MOE of radiata pine sapwood boards

The effects of moisture content from 17 to 159% MC and temperatures from −71°C to +58°C on resonance-based acoustic velocity and dynamic modulus of elasticity (DMOE) were investigated using 36 boards of radiata pine sapwood. Acoustic velocity decreased with increasing moisture content and temperature, although effects differed noticeably below and above fibre saturation point (FSP). Below FSP, acoustic velocity decreased rapidly and linearly with increasing moisture; whereas above FSP changes in velocity were rather gradual and curvilinear with marked differences in velocity patterns between temperatures below and above freezing. Acoustic velocity decreased linearly with increasing temperature but there was an abrupt discontinuity at the freezing point for wood above FSP. Changes in moisture content and temperature affecting wood density and acoustic velocity led to changes in DMOE, although this relationship was not straightforward because changes of velocity with moisture were linear or curvilinear and depended on whether wood was frozen or unfrozen, whereas changes of density with moisture content were invariably linear. For practical work, it is important to estimate the relative effect of changing moisture content or temperature with respect to standard conditions on DMOE, thus general guidelines were devised to account for significant changes.