Influence of a wide range of moisture contents on the Poisson’s ratio of wood

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of a wide range of moisture contents (0–177 %) on the Poisson’s ratio of wood taken from Japanese cypress and magnolia by conducting longitudinal compression tests. Through analysis of variance and multiple comparisons, it was found that when the moisture content is below the respective fiber saturation point Poisson’s ratio decreases with increasing moisture content. In contrast, at moisture contents above the fiber saturation point, the Poisson’s ratio increases with moisture content. The same tendency was observed in both wood species, but the effect was more pronounced in magnolia than Japanese cypress.