REDUCED EQUILIBRIUM MOISTURE CONTENT AND IMPROVED DECAY RESISTANCE
Reduced equilibrium moisture content produces new application possibilities for Thermowood®. In applications where changes in wood moisture and the associated swelling and shrinking cause problems, one can solve these problems by using thermally modified wood. For example, the summer cottage’s floor made of thermally modified floorboards has no gaps between the boards.
In T-D treatment the equilibrium moisture content of wood is no more than about half of that of untreated wood. The difference in the moisture content values of wood increases with higher relative air humidity.
The reduced equilibrium moisture content of Thermowood® in turn means reduced susceptibility to decay. In practice, the moisture content of air is not able to increase the equilibrium moisture content of Thermowood® to a level congenial for decay-causing fungi to damage wood. When the relative humidity of the air is more than 90%, the equilibrium moisture content of thermally modified wood will still remain below 15%, whereas decay-causing fungi require moisture contents in excess of 20%.