  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.
