absorbency
The degree of receptivity of a material to
liquids, either in liquid or gaseous form.
Measures of absorbency include: 1) the time a
material requires to absorb a specific volume of
liquid; 2) the rate of rise of a liquid along a
vertical strip of a material, the end of which is
immersed in the liquid; 3) the total area of a
specimen wetted by the liquid within a specified
time period; and 4) the total absorptive capacity
of a material expressed as the quantity of liquid
absorbed by a completely saturated specimen.
Absorbency is of importance because paper, for
example, generally has the ability to absorb or
give up moisture depending upon the wetness, i.e.,
RELATIVE HUMIDITY
, of the atmosphere around it, and, because the
effect is not uniform in all directions. Because
of the latter, the MACHINE DIRECTION of
the paper used in producing books becomes an
important factor in both printing and bookbinding.
See also: COCKLE
(1) ; WARPING .
(17 , 72 , 144 )
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