Accuracy of Wood Resistance Sensors for Measurement of Humidity

Abstract

Abstract This work was undertaken to evaluate the accuracy of wood resistance sensors for measurement of relative humidity and to identify sources of error in this use. Relative humidity can be expressed as a function of the logarithm of the sensor's electrical resistance and of its temperature. We found that single-point calibration of each sensor compensates for most between-sensor variation, although care must be exercised during calibration. With careful calibration readings, error in relative humidity readings made with these sensors can be limited to ± 10% relative humidity under most conditions. The literature indicates that a lower degree of error than this is anticipated when electrical resistance is used to estimate moisture content measurements. Our data suggest that sorption hysteresis and sensor memory are significant contributors to this (± 10%) relative humidity error.