Method and device for treating moist wood

TLDR: In this article, the authors describe the drying process of wood in a chamber, where a constant mechanical pressure of 1-150 bar is exerted on the wood until the end of its shrinking process by heatable plates by means of one or more piston rods engaging thereon.

Abstract: The moist wood is exposed to high temperatures in a chamber (20). The high pressure arising in this connection in the wood as a result of the steam forming is counteracted by a counterpressure of 2 to 45 bar which is built up in the chamber. By slowly reducing the counterpressure, the steam can escape from the wood, without structural damage occurring in the wood. At the latest at the start of the reduction of the chamber pressure, which extends over a period of time of 10 to 180 minutes, a constant mechanical pressure of 1-150 bar is exerted on the wood until the end of its shrinking process by heatable plates (26, 30) by means of one or more piston rods (27) engaging thereon. The wood thus dried is extremely stable in terms of shape and dimension. It is suitable for example as shaft wood for guns which does not change its properties even when exposed to the most extreme environmental conditions for a long time.