Heat Retention Levels of Woods

Overview

Objectives/Goals The objective of my experiment was to understand what type of wood would be best for a home in a cold region. I tested which wood had the best heat retention to see which wood would keep a house warm the longest. I predicted that a hardwood would have the best heat retention due to it's density. Methods/Materials My procedure for this experiment is simple: I heated my woods at the same time at 250°F for 20 minutes, Next I placed each one in a individual jar with a thermometer, Then for an hour I checked the temperature every 5 minutes and recorded my data. My 6 woods were: birch, maple, poplar, oak, cedar, and pine. Results After my experiment I found that pine, a softwood, was the best heat retainer. That proves the opposite of my hypothesis. Hardwoods were poor at heat retention because their density prevented the heat from fully absorbing. Therefore, the heat was released faster. However, I realized that my other softwood, cedar, was the WORST heat retainer. I discovered that this was because cedar was very porous so heat was released faster. Conclusions/Discussion I learned what types of woods would be best for houses in cold regions to keep heat in better. I also learned that the worst heat retainer would be best for decks to prevent the deck from over-heating and being to hot under foot. From the six woods I tested the best wood for houses would be pine.

Competition history

• CSEF 2016 Materials Science (Junior Division Only) · Entry J1307

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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