Specific heat capacity of thermally modified wood at different levels of temperature and moisture content

The amount of specific heat capacity is important for processes that require heat transfer in wood, as well as for design of wood structures that undergo high temperature changes during day. In this research, specific heat capacity of thermally modified oak were measured in comparison with unmodified wood in the temperature range of -20 to 20 °C under dry and wet conditions using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Results showed that there was no significant difference between the specific heat capacities of two types of wood at dry condition, and the average values were 1.47 J.g-1K-1 at 20 °C and 0.84 J.g-1K-1 at -20 °C. In contrast, the specific heat capacity of the modified wood at -20 °C under wet condition was greater than that of unmodified wood, and more heat flux was used to melt the ice. In contrast to a linear relationship between the dry specific heat capacity and temperature in the range of 0 to 20 °C, the relationship was nonlinear for temperatures below 0 °C.