Effect of temperature on the fracture mechanism of wood–plastic composites in situ

Abstract

An experimental study was carried out to investigate the effect of temperature on the mechanical properties and the fracture mechanism of wood-plastic composites (WPCs) under tension. The specimens were prepared via injection molding of various weight fractions of pine wood particles and high-density polyethylene (with and without coupling agent, maleic anhydride-grafted polyethylene (MAPE)). The deformation and fracture behaviors of the samples at different temperatures were studied using a portable microscope setup during the test. The results indicated the significant effect of the test temperature on the fracture mechanism of WPC specimens. At room temperature, the dominant fracture mechanism for the samples without MAPE was debonding, whereas wood cracking was the dominant fracture mechanism in the presence of MAPE. At high temperatures, debonding was prominent over wood cracking in all samples (with and without MAPE), whereas at low temperatures (below 0 C) wood cracking was the dominant fracture mechanism.

The effect of epoxy resin on wood-plastic composites

“…The recycled plastics used to prepare WPCs are generally thermoplastics, such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polystyrene, used for a variety of applications (Alavi et al , 2016; Ahmad and Luyt, 2012; Cai et al , 2014; Fabiyi et al , 2011; Mueller et al , 2012; Luo et al , 2014; Singha and Rana, 2012). Among all the thermoplastics, PE has the best surface quality, low cost and excellent chemical resistance, and can be recycled from consumed polymeric materials.…”

Optimizing torque rheometry parameters for assessing the rheological characteristics and extrusion processability of wood plastic composites

“…1,2 Wood fibers were originally used in plastic industry as fillers to reduce density and cost, but the fibers can also improve stiffness and other mechanical properties of the composites. 3 Several thermoplastic resins, such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), 4,5 polypropylene (PP), 6,7 polyvinyl chloride (PVC), 8,9 and polystyrene, 10 have been used in WPCs, for a variety of applications. Among all the thermoplastic plastics, PE has the benefits of low cost, high heat stability, and ecological recycling from the post-consumed polymeric materials, making the plastics very suitable for WPCs.…”