| Resumo: | Moisture is one of the most important causes for building pathology. Material's behaviour degradation can be affected by the presence of water both in vapour and liquid phase. Wood has a strong hygroscopic behaviour, with a strong variation of moisture content and dimension stability caused by modifications of the relative humidity of the surrounding air. The properties that define the behaviour of wood facing temperature and moisture actions were studied in this work. Linear thermal expansion, hygroscopicity, shrinkage and hygric expansion were given special attention. An experimental device was planned and designed for testing wood samples. Displacement sensors were attached to a supporting tray and the complete set was installed in an existing climatic chamber. A series of tests was performed on wood samples, including the determination of hygric expansion coefficient and the definition of the sorption curve, using the facilities of the Laboratory of Building Physics in the Faculty of Engineering of Porto University. This research made possible the evaluation of dimensional stability of wood facing transient conditions of the air's relative humidity.
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