Experimental indication of interaction between viscoelastic and mechano-sorptive creep

This paper describes the study of possible interactions between the viscoelastic and mechano-sorptive creep in Pinus sylvestris. When two periods of constant-moisture creep were separated by a period of mechano-sorptive creep, the expected creep rate during the second viscoelastic period was decreased. A similar effect was observed during creep recovery. These results were taken to indicate an interaction between the two types of creep, although not necessarily a common mechanism. During recovery with uniform moisture cycling, the effects of one extra low and one extra high humidity were observed. The low humidity showed no significant effect, but the high humidity significantly increased the recovery. This was attributed to a parallel effect to that of creep: namely, the creep acceleration that occurs at a higher moisture level than has previously been reached during the test.