PERMITTIVITY OF WOOD AS A FUNCTION OF WATER CONTENT

In the last ten years, the interest in safeguarding historical artifacts and buildings has considerably increased, thanks to the development of non-invasive and dedicated methodologies and technologies. In particular, the measurement of water content in historical materials is an aspect of primary importance in numerous biological and mechanical degradation activities. Many historic structures and objects are wooden-made, despite the hygroscopic nature of the material. Different studies show how the water adsorption phenomenon principally occurs in the range of 0% to 25%. In this range, changes in the water content affect the physical-mechanical and rheological properties of wood, and above 5% of moisture content risks for insect infestation increase. This paper proposes a study to determine the complex permittivity of moisturized wood samples at different levels of the water content (0% - 5% range).