Computerized dynamic swellometer evaluation of oriented strand products

A dynamic swellometer was assembled to determine the dimensional changes in wood and wood composite products when submerged in liquids such as water. The dynamic swellometer consists of three major components: 1. a swell chamber for securing and immersing samples in water so that no floating can occur during testing, 2. a series of eight linear transducers that measure sample swell in certain increments, and 3. a computer with custom software that records measurements at specified time intervals. The swellometer was originally designed for solid wood and fiberboard, but the swellometer results of thickness swell for nine commercial oriented strand products manufactured by five companies are reviewed.