Tests of Drying Rate and Scoring of Defects for the Prediction of Conventional Kiln Drying Quality of Eucalyptus sp. Wood – Part 2

ABSTRACT This research is a continuation of Klitzke & Batista (2010) work. The main objective was to assess whether the wood quality in the methodology of drastic drying test at 100 °C corresponds to that of conventional kiln drying. It was used 11 years old Eucalyptus saligna, Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus dunnii woods, which were kiln dried together in the same batch in a pilot scale kiln, doing three repetitions. Drying defects evaluated were end and surface cracks, cupping and collapse, which generated a mean score by species, which was compared to the score of defects of the drastic drying test, as well as to the basic density and the total volumetric shrinkage. Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus saligna had higher wood quality in conventional drying than Eucalyptus dunnii. It was rejected the hypothesis of using the score of defects in drastic drying test as a way of predicting the quality of conventional kiln drying.