• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
• /
• v.36 no.6
• /
• pp.59-68
• /
• 2008

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of the Inside end-taping (Inside-ET) and Outside end-taping (Outside-ET) treatments on prevention of drying defects during radiofrequency/vacuum (RF/V) drying domestic yellow poplar log cross section with size of 20~75 mm in thickness and 120~470 mm in diameter. The treatments of Inside-ET and Outside-ET were quite effective for producing sound log cross sections with thinner than 33 mm and smaller than 270 mm in diameter. Even the 60 mm- and 75 mm-thick log cross sections, if the diameter was smaller than 30 cm, it might expect preventing formation of border checks by appropriate end-taping treatments. The positions of the observed border checks differed in diameter ranging at a relative radius about 0.50~0.63 diameter, and it was estimated that it was necessary to select the border position of end-taping treatment properly according to the diameter of log cross sections. It was observed that the radius of 0.3 diameter was the critical location for pretreatment for preventing formation of border checks in the log cross section with middle diameter. There were severe border checks and V-shaped cracks in the log cross section with large diameter. This was because of the severe variation of moisture content along radial direction of natural characteristic of domestic yellow poplar.