Abstract
The generation mechanism of growth strains is investigated theoretically by developing an elastic analysis of a wood cell viewed as a composite tube, with layers composed of a ligno-cellulosic material of varying composition and microfibrillar orientation. For each layer, the kinetics of induced strain is assumed synchronous with that of rigidification. In this case, variations of polymer behaviour concomitant with orientation must be invoked to account for observed variations of the growth strain.