Effects of moisture content and temperature on wood creep

The effects of moisture content (MC) and temperature (T) on the creep of Japanese cedar were investigated via a series of short-term creep tests, while MC had a higher effect than T, desorption of water caused more deformation. The results were separated into two distinct groups with MCs higher or lower than the equilibrium moisture content (EMC) and it was found that the mechano- sorptive effect is time-independent. The total creep strain of wood was explained by a model considering the instantaneous strain, creep strain and strain induced by the mechano-sorptive effect. The proposed model is in agreement with the creep master curves based on the time-temperature superposition principle (tTSP).