Abstract

Drying experiments in 2D glass micromodels, of which pore-morphology was similar to that found in longitudinal-tangential sections of softwood specimens, were carried out under quasi-isothermal conditions. During drying, fluid distribution and liquid removal mechanisms were recorded with a video camera. Drying kinetics was also measured. Experimental results show that the drying front has a very irregular morphology. We can also conclude that drying kinetics and phase distribution corresponding to micromodel-I could represent some aspects of the real features of wood drying. Finally, transparent micromodels are a useful tool to study the drying mechanism at pore-scale in softwood.