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The sorption isotherm of spruce wood has been studied many times. However, different data has been found among several sources. Those differences can play an important role in terms of accurate numerical modelling, especially in the context of mould growth predictions. Therefore, we performed several measurements of sorption isotherm of spruce wood at ca. 22.5 °C within the hygroscopic range of 0-97% RH. Measurements were performed over the years by three different operators with good mutual agreement. In addition, a measurement at approx 99.7% RH was performed. Found moisture content at this level of relative humidity corresponded well with suggested value of the fibre saturation point –30.8 %MC. Based on measured data an absorption and desorption functions were generated and compared with other sources. Our functions fit in the centre of the data found in literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The moisture behaviour of wood has been naturally studied since ancient times. Despite being commonly used in almost all industries, some of its moisture properties are still not precisely defined. Inaccuracies of the measured properties are reflected in numerical simulations and can lead to its improper use. Although the wood can often handle minor errors in its use, it will be beneficial to use it more consciously and efficiently in the future. Therefore, it is important to understand its moisture behaviour more accurately. This paper presents an experiment of dynamic moisture transport in spruce wood in high levels of ambient relative humidity under constant temperature. Only one-dimensional moisture transport in the tangential and radial directions were studied. The results show the rate of the stabilization of moisture content and the effect of sorption hysteresis under repeated cycles of the step changes of boundary humidity levels. The results can help to better understanding of the moisture behaviour of wood and to further improvement of some of the numerical simulation tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]