Post-Extrusion Processing of Extruded Wood Plastic Composites and Selection of Belt Conveyor Cover Material

Abstract

a Wood plastic composites (WPCs) have recently gained increased market share as a result of their beneficial properties and use of sustainable material sources. Currently, however, WPC products are limited to extruded profiles. More complex product shapes and geometries will increase market potential, but they demand additional post-processing after extrusion. Post-processing machinery coupled online with an extruder necessitates material handling, which is commonly achieved using belt conveyors. This paper considers transport of WPC material through a post-extrusion process using a belt conveyor system. Special emphasis is placed on studying the friction and surface energy properties of the belt conveyor. Friction at the interface of the raw material and belt cover was tested using a standard incline-plane method, and adhesion and stickiness were evaluated by determining the surface free energies of the belt cover and WPC material at 23 and 100 °C. On the basis of these measurements, this paper investigates key aspects of belt cover material selection and proposes a conveyor belt configuration for a prototype postextrusion process line that can be utilized in commercial mass production of WPC products.

Aging and tribological behavior of styrene butadiene rubber conveyor belts under combined seawater dry-wet conditions

“…The problem of aging and wear of rubber products such as conveyor belts has received extensive attention from scholars at home and abroad. Matthews et al [8] focused on the friction and surface properties of polytetrafluoroethylene and silicone rubber conveyor belts. They showed that silicone rubber has a more stable adhesion at high temperatures as well as a higher coefficient of friction.…”