Physicomechanical Properties of Sustainable Wood Plastic Composites of Tropical Sawdust and Thermoplastic Waste for Possible Utilization in the Wood Industry

This work investigated and quantified the physicomechanical properties of flat-pressed wood plastic composites produced with recycled polyethylene terephthalate, recycled polyethylene and sawdust derived from selected tropical timbers, namely, Nauclea diderrichii, Brachystegia eurycoma, Erythrophleum suaveolens and Prosopis africana, for possible utilization in the wood industry. The compounding of the polymer blends of the precursor plastics, namely recycled PET (rPET) and recycled PE (rPE) with the sawdust (SD) from the selected timbers to produce the desired wood rPET/rPE composites was carried out via the flat press method. The characterization of the physicomechanical properties of the wood plastic composites (WPCs) produced, such as the density, hardness, flexural strength, ultimate tensile strength, elongation %, thickness swelling and water absorption capacity was carried out using methods based mainly on the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) standards. The results of the investigation on the resultant composites indicated that changes in the SD content affected the density of flat-pressed WPCs in line with literature. Generally, it was observed that as wood dust increased and PET content decreased, the density of composites decreased with some deviations as expected probably due to the anisotropic nature of the wood fillers. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that there was a statistically significant variation in the wood composites of Nuclea diderichii based on the physicomechanical values as the p-value (0.020) obtained was less than the critical level of α = 0.05. It was also observed that the composite, Wood 1 Sample 5 (W1S5) which was composed of 40% rPE, 40% rPET and 20% SD (derived from Nuclea diderichii), had the highest percentage elongation (26.84%);the highest flexural strength (14.995 N/mm2) and possibly the least carbon footprint in the environment. These properties of W1S5 suggest that it could therefore be the best option for the production of building materials like ceiling boards or floor skirting in the wood plastic composite industry. The results of these investigations have therefore indicated that the fabrication of WPCs from sawdust and rPET/rPE was technically feasible and had prospects for large scale production in the wood industry.

Filling Behavior of Wood Plastic Composites

WPC （wood plastic composites） are a young generation of composites with rapidly growing usage within the plastics industry. The advantages are the availability and low price of the wood particles, the possibility of partially substituting the polymer in the mixture and sustainable use of the earth＇s resources. The current WPC products on the market are to a large extent limited to extruded products. Nowadays, there is a great interest in the market for consumer products in more use of WPC as an alternative to pure thermoplastics in injection molding processes. This work presents the results of numerical simulation and experimental visualization of the mold filling process in injection molding of WPC. The 3D injection molding simulations were done with the commercial software package Autodesk~ Moldflow Insight 2016 （AMI）. The mold filling experiments were conducted with a box-shaped test part. In contrast to unfilled polymers, the WPC has reduced melt elasticity so that the fountain flow often does not develop. This results in irregular flow front shapes in the molded part, especially at high filler content.

A Simulation Software for the Prediction of Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Wood Plastic Composites

Modelling and simulation has become an important tool in research and development. Simulation models are used to develop better understanding of the internal properties and impact of various parameters on the final quality of the product or process. Simulation model reduces the number of experiments and saves the wastage of material, time and money and are widely used in automobile industry, aircrafts manufacturing, process engineering, training for military, health care sector and many more. Wood Plastic Composite （WPC） is a bio-composite made by mixing wood fibers and plastic granules together at high temperature by compression molding or injection molding. A large quantity of WPC is rejected due to poor quality and low mechanical strength. There is a need to improve the understanding of the wood plastic composites, with both theoretical and experimental analysis. The impact of various parameters and processing conditions on the final product is not known to the industry people, due to less simulation models in this field. A new simulation software WPC Soft is developed to predict the mechanical and thermal properties of WPC. The software can predict the mechanical and thermal properties of WPC. The simulation results were validated with the experimental results and it was observed that the predicted values are quite close to the experimental values and with the further refining of the model, prediction can be further improved. The present simulation software can be easily used by the industry people and it requires very little knowledge of computers or modeling for its operation.

Novel wood-plastic composite fabricated via modified steel slag:Preparation,mechanical and flammability properties

A novel method was developed to enhance the utilization rate of steel slag(SS).Through treatment of SS with phosphoric acid and aminopropyl triethoxysilane(KH550),we obtained modified SS(MSS),which was used to prepare MSS/wood-plastic composites(MSS/WPCs)by replacing talcum powder(TP).The composites were fabricated through melting blending and hot pressing.Their mechanical and combustion properties,which comprise heat release,smoke release,and thermal stability,were systematically investigated.MSS can improve the mechanical strength of the composites through grafting reactions between wood powder and thermoplastics.Notably,MSS/WPC#50(16wt%MSS)with an MSS-to-TP mass ratio of 1:1 exhibited optimal comprehensive performance.Compared with those of WPC#0 without MSS,the tensile,flexural,and impact strengths of MSS/WPC#50 were increased by 18.5%,12.8%,and 18.0%,respectively.Moreover,the MSS/WPC#50 sample achieved the highest limited oxygen index of 22.5%,the highest vertical burning rating at the V-1 level,and the lowest horizontal burning rate at 44.2 mm/min.The formation of a dense and stable char layer led to improved thermal stability and a considerable reduction in heat and smoke releases of MSS/WPC#50.However,the partial replacement of TP with MSS slightly compromised the mechanical and flame-retardant properties,possibly due to the weak grafting caused by SS powder agglomeration.These findings suggest the suitability of MSS/WPCs for high-value-added applications as decorative panels indoors or outdoors.

Sound Insulation Performance of Structural Wood Wall Integrated with Wood Plastic Composite

The sound insulation performance is an important technical index for evaluating the physical property of the building wall.Three kinds of structural wood walls integrated with wood plastic composite(WPC)were designed.And the sound insulation performance of the walls was studied.The results showed that for the wall that constructed by the WPC as the wall studs,compared with the one that constructed by the pine wood as the wall studs,the deviation of their sound insulation was lower than±3 dB.The wall’s external panel material had significant effect on the wall’s sound insulation property,and the contribution of the wood-plastic panel to the sound insulation was much higher than that of the polyvinyl chloride(PVC)plastic hanging board.The surrounding sealing quality of the wall’s external panel material had an important influence on the sound insulation effect of the building wall,and the panel of the wood plastic interior wall had less influence on the sound insulation performance of the wall.Taking the sound-absorbing cotton or non-woven fabric as elastic strips was an effective technical measure to improve the sound insulation performance of the walls.The sound insulation was improved by 2.4 dB and 3.1dB respectively after the correction of pink noise spectrum,and increased by 2.8 dB and 3.6 dB respectively after the correction of traffic noise spectrum.

Mechanical and Morphological Properties of Wood Plastic Biocomposites Prepared from Toughened Poly（lactic acid） and Rubber Wood Sawdust （Hevea brasiliensis）

The present research aims to utilize the acrylic Core-Shell Rubber （CSR） particles to reduce the brittleness in Wood Plastic Composites （WPC） prepared from poly（lactic acid） （PLA） and rubber wood sawdust （Hevea brasiliensis）. Experimental works consisted of two major parts. The first part concentrated on toughening PLA by using CSR particles. Mechanical tests revealed that PLA had become tougher with a more than five times increment in the impact strength when the CSR was added at only 5 wt%. The modified PLA was less stiff with the significant reductions of both elastic and flexural moduli and strengths. The second part focused on producing WPC from the toughened PLA and rubber wood sawdust. The tensile moduli and the strengths of the PLA composites increased with rubber wood content. The composites turned out to be more brittle with reductions of both the impact strength and the tensile elongation at break at all the sawdust contents. Toughening PLA/wood flour with 5 wt% CSR improved both the impact strength and the tensile elongation at break. The toughness enhancement was also depicted by the plastic deformation observed on the surfaces of fractured PLA/CSR/wood sawdust composites.

Effects of Rice Hull Particle Size and Content on the Mechanical Properties and Visual Appearance of Wood Plastic Composites Prepared from Poly（vinyl chloride）

This research aims to develop Wood Plastic Composites （WPCs） from rice hull and poly（vinyl chloride） （PVC）. The in- fluences of the rice hull particle size and content on the mechanical properties and the visual appearance of the WPC decking board were investigated. The experimental results revealed that the impact strength tended to decrease with increasing rice hull content. The composites with larger particle sizes exhibited higher impact strength. Under tensile and flexure load, higher rice hull content induced greater modulus and ultimate strength when the rice hull was applied at less than 60 phr. Beyond this concentration, the modulus and the strength dropped due to the formation of rice hull agglomerates. The smaller particles of the milled rice hull, the greater tendency there was for them to act as a pigment to form a darker shade close that of the rice hull on the composite decking board. The larger particle sizes were 106 μm and beyond simply embedded in the white PVC matrix.

Wood Plastic Composites Prepared from Biodegradable Poly（butylene succinate） and Burma Padauk Sawdust （Pterocarpus macrocarpus）： Water Absorption Kinetics and Sunlight Exposure Investigations

Wood plastic biocomposites of biodegradable poly（butylene succinate） （PBS） and Padauk sawdust was successfully pre- pared by using a twin screw extruder and an injection molding machine. The effects of water absorption and sunlight exposure on some properties of the composites were investigated. Water absorption of PBS composites was found to follow the Fick＇s law of diffusion, while the diffusion coefficient increased with increasing wood content. Maximum water absorption of around 4.5% was observed at 30 wt.% sawdust. Optical micrograph indicated the swelling of wood particles by around 1% - 3% after 30 days of water immersion. The tensile and flexural strengths reduced slightly both under the water immersion and sunlight exposure. After 90 days of exposure, the composites clearly looked paler than the non-weathered ones. Thermal scan indicated the re- duction of crystalline region due to the plasticization effect derived from water molecules.

Production of mahogany sawdust reinforced LDPE wood–plastic composites using statistical response surface methodology

We produced wood–plastic composite board by using sawmill wastage of mahogany（Swietenia macrophylla） wood and low density polyethylene.We used multi-response optimization to optimize the process parameters of composite board production including mixing ratio,fire retardant（%） and pressing time（min）.We investigated the effects of these three process parameters in the mechanical and physical properties of the composite board.Afterwards,Box–Behnken design was performed as response surface methodology with desirability functions to attain the optimal level of mixing ratio,fire retardant and pressing time（min）.The maximum modulus of elasticity（MOE） and modulus of rupture（MOR） were achieved at the optimal conditions of wood plastic mixing ratio of60：40,pressing time of 9 min and zero fire retardant percentage.The optimized MOR and MOE were 13.12 and1,781.0 N mm-2,respectively.

Wood plastic composites based wood wall’s structure and thermal insulation performance

In order to solve the problem of poor thermal insulation in the current wood-plastic building,two kinds of structural wood wall integrated with wood plastic composite(WPC)are designed,and the thermal insulation performances of the walls are studied.The results show that the WPC integrated wall with frame-shear structure has a good stability,and the excellent performance of the WPC can be fully realized.Wall studs and wall panels are important factors affecting the thermal performance of the walls.Wood plastic materials can meet the thermal performance requirements of the walls.The single-layer frame walls and double-layer frame walls integrated with the WPC both have a good thermal performance.According to‘Design Standard for Energy Efficiency of Public Buildings(GB 50189-2015)’,the heat transfer coefficient of the single-layer frame wall integrated with 20 mm thick WPC wall boards and WPC wall studs is 0.414 W/(m^(2)•K),which can meet the standard of wall thermal levelⅡt and is suitable for cold areas.The heat transfer coefficient of the double-layer frame wall integrated with 50 mm thick WPC wall panel and WPC wall studs is 0.207 W/(m^(2)•K),which can meet the standard of wall thermal levelⅠt and is suitable for severe cold areas.

An Evaluation of the Physicochemical, Structural and Morphological Properties of Selected Tropical Wood Species for Possible Utilization in the Wood Industry

This work investigated and quantified the physicochemical, structural and morphological properties of four (4) tropical timbers as precursor raw materials for possible utilization in the wood plastic industry. The physicochemical properties of the wood samples such as the bulk and tapped density, moisture content, water absorption capacity at 25°C, volatile content, fixed carbon, ash content, alpha cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and extractives contents were determined using standard methods like the European Committee for Standardization and (CEN/TS) and the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) standards. The structural and morphological properties of the samples were examined with Fourier Infrared Transform (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results indicated that the bulk density values of the timbers ranged from 0.34 g/cm3 in Brachystegia eurycoma (W3) to 0.47 g/cm3 in Erythrophleum suaveolens (W2), with the other timbers, Nuclea diderichii (W1) and Prosopis africana (W4) having the same bulk density of 0.40 g/cm3. With respect to their moisture content, W2 had the highest value (8.38%) while Nauclea diderrichii had the lowest value (6.52%). The water absorption capacities of the woods studied correlated with the cellulose composition of wood in the order of: W3 > W1 > W4 > W2. The FTIR results showed that W2 and W3 presented a slightly more prominent and broader band than the other woods at 1731 cm-1, in agreement with the higher holocellulose content of these species, while W2 and W4 presented the most prominent peaks indicating higher lignin content than W1 and W3. The SEM micrographs of the wood flour samples investigated indicated that the surfaces of the woods were rough and heterogeneous with irregular crystal and brick shaped particles. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) carried out with respect to the chemical composition of the wood samples indicated that there was no statistically significant variation in the wood chemical composition between species as the p-value (0.852) obtained was greater than the critical level of α = 0.05.

Preliminary study of the effects of EVA coupling agents on properties of wood-plastic composites

As a hot-melt adhesive, ethylene-vinyl-acetate （EVA） has been used in many industrial applications. But studies of the application of EVA in wood-plastic composites （WPC） are relatively few, so we have investigated the proposition of whether EVA is a suitable coupling agent for WPC or not. The results show that EVA with 8% VA is not a suitable coupling agent, because it reduces the mechanical properties of WPC without any significant effect on its physical properties. With an increase in the amount of wood powder, the mechanical properties of WPC decrease and the ability of water absorption of WPC increases.

Chemical characterization of smoke from the production process of wood-plastic composites

The chemical composition of unpleasant smell, emitted from the production process of wood-plastic composites using Manchurian ash sawdust （Fraxinus mandschurica Rupr.） and polypropylene powder as the raw material, was investigated. Wood sawdust and polypropylene powder were subjected to heat treatment to 290℃ during 8 min （the conditions were similar to those employed on an industrial scale）. The emitted compounds were collected and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS）. The analytical results showed that the unpleasant smell was emitted from the pyrogenation of wood sawdust rather than from the polypropylene powder. Nine types of compounds （hydrocarbons, ethers, phenols, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, acids and their derivatives, furan and its derivatives, and nitrogen-containing compounds） were collected in the gas phase during heating. Among those 126 components detected by GC-MS, 112 compounds were identified.

Application of Plastic Wood Composite in Outdoor Furniture

Concept of plastic wood and plastic wood furniture was summarized, categories of outdoor furniture in a narrow and broad sense introduced respectively. Furniture of plastic wood composite is characterized by "leisure, natural and concise", dynamic loading is the major connection mode, and traditional mechanical connection is applied. Common damages of plastic wood composite and countermeasures were concluded, and corresponding resolutions proposed in view of existing problems of outdoor plastic wood composite furniture.

APP/ZB协效阻燃发泡木塑复合材料性能研究

为了拓宽发泡木塑复合材料(FWPC)的功能性,以沙柳木粉、高密度聚乙烯(PE-HD)为主要原料,纳米炭黑(Nano-CB)为导电填料,聚磷酸铵(APP)和硼酸锌(ZB)作为阻燃剂和抑烟成分进行复配,采用发泡工艺和模压法制备阻燃抗静电型发泡木塑复合材料。研究APP/ZB协效阻燃剂质量比对FWPC力学性能、阻燃抑烟性能及热稳定性能的影响。结果表明:当APP/ZB总加入量为20%,质量比为4∶1时,FWPC的各项性能相对较优,静曲强度、弹性模量、拉伸强度和冲击强度分别为30.11MPa、2636MPa、14.65MPa和3.72kJ/m^(2),氧指数达27.3%,属难燃级别;与单独加APP时相比,力学性能降低,烟释放速总量降低11.93%,CO产率峰值和平均CO产率分别降低80.6%和49.3%,总失重率从63.53%降至61.42%,热稳定性能提高;FWPC燃烧后炭层表面凹凸不平,复合材料的阻燃和抑烟性能得到提升。

Mechanical properties of wood flour/recycled-thermoplastic-blends composites

The mechanical properties of composites prepared from wood flour and thermoplastic blends were investigated. Thermoplastic mixtures of polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polystyrene (PS), virgin or recycled, were mixed with wood flour in a high speed blender and then extruded by a specially designed twin/single screw extruder system to form wood-flour/thermoplastic-blends composites (WTBCs). Comparative studies were made to evaluate the effectiveness of the two modification methods of the thermoplastic blends, the one of the addition of maleic anhydride grafted styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene block copolymer (SEBS-g-MAH) as compatibilizer and the other of blend grafting of maleic anhydride (MAH) using dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as initiator by reactive extrusion. The results showed that the impact properties of WTBCs using SEBS-g-MAH as compatilizer were better improved than that of the blend grafting. However, adverse results were observed on the tensile and flexural properties of the corresponding WTBCs. The mechanical properties of WTBCs prepared from recycled plastic blends were poorer to some extent than that from virgin plastic blends in general, especially in elongation break. The morphology of WTBCs breaking section was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the results showed that a good interfacial adhesion between wood flour and polymer matrix was observed with both of the two modification methods. However, by blend grafting of adding DCP as initiator and MAH as monomer, a better interfacial bonding between wood and plastic matrix was obtained than that of the addition of SEBS-g-MAH. Blend grafting can be considered as a potential way of increasing the interfacial compatibility of different plastics and between plastic blends and wood.

木塑空心柱轴压力学性能试验与有限元分析

为探究木塑复合材料用作低密度装配式建筑承重柱的可行性,通过材性测试和轴压试验评估共挤出木塑空心柱的轴压力学性能,并利用ABAQUS有限元分析软件模拟探究木塑空心柱壁厚、长细比和内置薄壁圆钢管壁厚对其极限承载力、变形能力和破坏模式的影响。模拟分析结果与试验测试数据高度一致,验证了模拟方法的有效性。试验研究表明,木塑空心柱主要通过局部压溃破坏,并表现出明显的弹塑性阶段。有限元分析结果表明,增加壁厚能提高木塑空心柱的初始刚度和极限承载力,其中8 mm厚度在成本、重量及承载能力方面具有最佳性价比。随着长细比的增加,木塑空心柱的承载力和刚度逐渐降低,破坏模式也从强度破坏转向失稳破坏。内置3 mm薄壁钢管显著增强了木塑空心柱的承载力和延性,其力学性能能够满足建筑对抗压承重构件的要求。

加工因素对HDPE基木塑复合材料静曲强度的影响

为了研究木塑复合材料加工因素对复合材料力学性能的影响,采用正交实验法以静曲强度为评价标准,利用极差分析和方差分析法分析了螺杆转速、造粒温度、偶联剂质量分数和木粉含量等加工因素对力学指标静曲强度影响的顺序及各因素的最佳水平,确定了木塑复合材料静曲强度的各加工因素的最佳参数组合;系统地分析了各加工参数对木塑复合材料力学性能指标静曲强度的影响。结果表明,影响木塑复合材料静曲强度的主要加工因素由大到小依次为偶联剂质量分数>木粉含量>转速>造粒温度;得到最佳静曲强度的加工因素参数组合为转速150 r/min、造粒温度145℃、偶联剂质量分数为5%、木粉含量为60%;木粉含量及偶联剂质量分数对材料的静曲强度具有显著性影响,转速和造粒温度对材料静曲强度影响的显著性较低,其中,随着偶联剂含量的增加,静曲强度呈明显上升的趋势;当木粉含量从30%增大至70%时,材料的静曲强度呈先增加后减小的趋势。

木塑复合材料在家具中的应用

木塑材料作为一种复合型材质具有较强的可塑性、较小的污染性,相较于塑料及实木材质优势明显,在家具制造领域的实用性逐渐增强。本文主要分析了木塑复合材料在家具中应用的原则与优势、设计方法以及应用实例,为木塑材料家具产品开发提供更多的思路与建议。

烟秆粉和咖啡壳粉对木塑复合材料性能的影响

为探讨烟秆粉和咖啡壳粉代替桉木粉生产木塑复合材料的可行性,采用范式法分析比较烟秆粉、咖啡壳粉和桉木粉的化学成分,以烟秆粉、咖啡壳粉及桉木粉为增强相与高密度聚乙烯(HDPE)熔融共混,采用两步挤出成型法制备了不同木质纤维原料及配比的木塑复合材料。通过测试不同木塑复合材料的物理力学性能、动态热力学性能(DMA)、氧化诱导时间(OIT)和氧化诱导温度(OIT^(*)),观察不同木塑复合材料的微观形貌和官能团,分析不同木质纤维原料及配比对木塑复合材料性能的影响。结果表明:综纤维素含量由高到低依次为桉木粉、烟秆粉、咖啡壳粉,木质素含量由低到高依次为桉木粉、烟秆粉、咖啡壳粉;桉木粉/HDPE复合材料(TS0)的综合性能优于烟秆粉/HDPE复合材料(TS100)和咖啡壳粉/HDPE复合材料(CS100)。在混合纤维原料木塑复合材料中,随着桉木粉用量的减少,木塑复合材料的集中载荷、弹性模量、静曲强度和冲击强度先增加后降低,OIT和OIT^(*)降低,20%烟秆粉80%桉木粉/HDPE复合材料(TS20)的综合性能最佳,其集中载荷和冲击强度比TS100分别提高27.5%和22.5%,OIT和OIT^(*)分别增加9.9 min和10.7℃。