Kiln Drying Schedule Modification for Pitch Pine Using Drying Resistance

For the modification of kiln drying schedule, rela ons between drying resistance R and moisture content or drying times were found 2.5cm-and 5.0cm-thick pitch pine (Pinus rigida Mill.) board and dimension lumber by the conventional kiln drying schedule until the average moisture content was 10%. The results of this study were as follows. 1. Drying resistance increased curvilinearly as moisture content decreased, and was higher for dimension lumber than for board at a given moisture content. The relationships between drying resistance and moisture content for the conventional kiln drying schedule and thickness of lumber were 1) for 2.5cm-thick board by the conventional kiln drying schedule. 3) for 5.0cm-thick dimension lumber by the conventional kiln drying schedule. 2. As drying time increased, moisture content decreased and drying resistance increased at the same time. Gradient of slope for dimension lumber was gentler than board. 3. The predicted drying times to 10% moisture content with the conventional kiln drying schedule were a little shorter than actual drying times with relatively small error. 4. It is necessary for the conventional kiln drying schedule to be modified to provide the desired final moisture content at minimum drying time with no significant degrade under severe drying conditions. 5. The kiln factors for 2.5cm-thick board and 5.0cm-thick dimension lumber with the conventional kiln drying schedule were 1.112, 1.136, respectively.