Drying shrinkage and mechanical properties of poplar wood (Populus alba L.) across the grain

Poplar wood (Populus alba L.) was the most used species to make painting supports in central Italy between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries. This study centres on determining some physical and mechanical parameters for poplar wood: desorption curves across part of the hygroscopic interval, as well as shrinkage/swelling figures and the deformational behaviour under long- and short-term loading, in anatomical directions across the grain.