A Statistical Approach for Determining the Impact of Sensor Orientation and Electrode Type on Moisture Content Measurements in Eastern White Pine

Current methods for quantifying the moisture content (MC) of wood species involve the measurement of electrical resistance between two installed electrodes and the use of existing empirical correlations to evaluate the MC. The objective of this study was to statistically examine the impact of sensor orientation and electrode geometry on MC measurements in 126 eastern white pine samples with electrodes placed along the grain of the wood (longitudinal) and across the grain of the wood (tangential) using six different fasteners. MC measurements were taken and electrical resistances were measured in both directions at temperatures ranging from -10℃ to 40℃ as samples reached steady state at different relative humidity levels. It was statistically determined that grain orientation does not need to be considered (p>0.05) when assessing MC in eastern white pine, while electrode type should be considered (p<0.05) when fasteners of high vs. low contact surface areas are compared.