Effects of two modification methods on the mechanical properties of wood flour/recycled plastic blends composites: addition of thermoplastic elastomer SEBS-g-MAH and in-situ grafting MAH

The effect of maleic anhydride grafted styrene-ethylene- buty-lene-styrene block copolymer （SEBS-g-MAH） and in-situ grafting MAH on mechanical, dynamic mechanical properties of wood flour/recycled plastic blends composites was investigated. Recycled plastic polypro-pylene （PP）, high-density polyethylene （HDPE） and polystyrene （PS）, were mixed with wood flour in a high speed blender and then extruded by a twin/single screw tandem extruder system to form wood flour/recycled plastic blends composites. Results show that the impact properties of the composites were improved more significantly by using SEBS-g-MAH compatibilizer than by using the mixtures of MAH and DCP via reactive blending in situ. However, contrary results were ob-served on the tensile and flexural properties of the corresponding com-posites. In General, the mechanical properties of composites made from recycled plastic blends were inferior to those made from virgin plastic blends, especially in elongation break. The morphological study verified that the interfacial adhesion or the compatibility of plastic blends with wood flour was improved by adding SEBS-g-MAH or in-situ grafting MAH. A better interfacial bonding between PP, HDPE, PS and wood flour was obtained by in-situ grafting MAH than the addition of SEBS-g-MAH. In-situ grafting MAH can be considered as a potential way of increasing the interfacial compatibility between plastic blends and wood flour. The storage modulus and damping factor of composites were also characterized through dynamic mechanical analysis （DMA）.

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.

Overview of the Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Tannin-Glyoxal Adhesive for Wood-Based Composites

More than a century after its initial synthesis,urea-formaldehyde(UF)resins still have dominant applications as adhesives,paints,and coatings.However,formaldehyde in this industry produces formaldehyde emissions that are dangerous to health.Scientists have spent the last decade replacing formaldehyde and phenol with environmentally friendly substances such as glyoxal and tannin to create bio-based adhesives.This review covers recent advances in synthesizing glyoxal tannin-based resins,especially those made from sustainable raw material substitutes and changes made to synthetic processes to improve mechanical properties.The efficacy of using tannin-glyoxal adhesives in producing wood-based composites has been proven.The glyoxylate reaction forms cross-linked bridges between the aromatic sites of the tannin and glyoxal molecular structures.Glyoxal tannin adhesive with a greater percentage of glyoxal than tannin will produce an adhesive with better characteristics.The gel time reduces as the hardener concentration rises from 7.5%to 15%when glyoxal is used in adhesives.However,excessive amounts of glyoxal will result in a decrease in viscosity values.Glyoxal exhibits faster delivery degradation when it reaches a maximum temperature of approximately 130°C,although it initiates the curing process slightly slower at 110°C.Adding glyoxal to tannin-based adhesives can improve the mechanical properties of composite boards.The wet shear strength of the resulting plywood is increased by 105.4%with the addition of 5-weight percent tannin-based resin with glyoxal as a cross-linker in Soy Protein Adhesive.With glyoxal as a hardener,the panels produced showed good internal bond strengths(>0.35 MPa)and met the international standard specifications for interior-grade panels.

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.

Ultrathin Wood Laminae–Thermoplastic Starch Biodegradable Composites

Novel fully biodegradable thermoplastic composite laminates reinforced with ultrathin wood laminae were prepared through a hot-pressing process by using two different thermoplastic starch(TPS)matrices.The microstructure and physical properties of the resulting unidirectional and bidirectional laminates were studied.The investigated materials presented a complex microstructure,in which the porosity of the wood laminae was almost entirely occluded by the polymer matrix.The mechanical behavior of the laminates was strongly affected by the obtained microstructure,and matrix penetration in wood pores led to biodegradable composites with elastic modulus and tensile strength higher than those of their constituents.Finally,thermal welding and thermoformability tests proved how these materials possess features typical of thermoplastic materials.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Rheological and mechanical properties of wood fiber-PP/PE blend composites

For evaluation of the rheological and mechanical properties of highly filled wood plastic composites （WPCs）, polypropylene/polyethylene （PP/PE） blends were grafted with maleic anhydride （MAH） to enhance the interfacial adhesion between wood fiber and matrix. WPCs were prepared from wood fiber up to 60 wt.% and modified PP/PE was blended by extrusion. The rheological properties were studied by using dynamic measurement. According to the strain sweep test, the linear viscoelastic region of composites in the melt was determined. The result showed that the storage modulus was independent of the strain at low strain region （〈0.1%）. The frequency sweep resuits indicated that all composites exhibited shear thinning behavior, and both the storage modulus and complex viscosity of MAH modified composites were decreased comparing to those unmodified. Flexural properties and impact strength of the prepared WPCs were measured according to the relevant standard specifications. The flexural and impact strength of the manufactured composites significantly increased and reached a maximum when MAH dosage was 1.0 wt%, whereas the flexural modulus after an initial decreased, also increased with MAH dosage. The increase in mechanical properties indicated that the presence of anhydride groups enhanced the interracial adhesion between wood fiber and PP/PE blends.

Effects of different modifiers on the properties of wood-polymer composites

Wood-polymer composites (WPC) were prepared from wood fiber and four kinds of plastics such as PE, PS, ABS, and SAN. The effects of different modifiers on the mechanical properties of the composites were studied. The results showed modifiers could raise the bonding strength of wood fiber with polymer and improve the mechanical properties of the composites. Different modifiers had different effects on the properties of wood-polymer composites, and comparatively the modifier of isocyanate produced a better result. Wood-polymer composite takes not only the advantages of both wood fiber and polymer, but waterproof, dimensional stability and dynamic strength are also significantly improved. Key word Wood fiber - Thermoplastic polyester - Wood-polymer composites - Modifier - Mechanical properties CLC number TB332 Document code A Foundation item: This study was supported by the Harbin Technology Tackle Key Plan (Development Research of Wood-Polymer Composites with High Wood Matrix) and by Heilongjing Nature Science Fund (Composite Mechanism Study of the Wood Polymer).Biography: XU Min (1963-), Female, Associate professor in Material Science and Engineering College, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, P. R. China.Responsible editor: Chai Ruihai

Reinforcing effects of modified Kevlar~ fiber on the mechanical properties of wood-flour/polypropylene composites

Kevlar fiber （KF） is a synthesized product with strong mechanical properties. We used KF as a reinforcement to improve the mechanical properties of wood-flour/polypropylene （WF/PP） composites. KF was pretreated with NaOH to improve its compatibility with the thermoplastic matrix. Maleated polypropylene （MAPP） was used as a coupling agent to improve the interfacial adhesion between KF, WF, and PP. Incorporation of KF improved the mechanical properties of WF/PP composites. Treatment of KF with NaOH resulted in further improvement in mechanical strength. Addition of 3% MAPP and 2% hydrolyzed KF （HKF） led to an increment of 93.8% in unnotched impact strength, 17.7% in notched impact strength, 86.8% in flexure strength, 50.8% in flexure modulus, and 94.1% in tensile strength compared to traditional WF/PP composites. Scanning electron microscopy of the cryo-fractured section of WF/PP showed that the HKF surface was rougher than the virgin KF, and the KF was randomly distributed in the composites, which might cause a mechanical interlocking between KF and polypropylene molecules in the composites.

Creep Behaviour of Wood Flour/Poly(vinyl chloride) Composites

The experimental creep data were focused on wood-flour （WF）/poly vinyl chloride （PVC） composites with the variations in additive concentrations of wood flour, silane coupling agent, organomodified montmorillonite （OMMT） and nano-cacium carbonate （nano-CaCO3）. Their effects were analyzed using the Four-element Burger Model incorporating microscopic mechanisms. Total creep strain was low with increasing WF while elastic strain was high and plastic flow strain was low in modeling. Modification of WF with silane was beneficial to creep resistance, so did adding low ratio of OMMT （1.5 wt%） and nano-CaCO3 in composites. Thus, it was effective in reducing creep either by stiffening the PVC matrix using rigid nano-particles or by improving their adhesion with resin. However, superfluous quantity of any additament did not benefit the improvement owing to either earlier destruction of their agglomerates or stress-concentrated cracks in the over-incrassated interface.

The sampling apparatus of volatile organic compounds for wood composites

Terpenes, aldehydes, ketones, benzene, and toluene are the important volatileorganic compounds (VOCs) emitted from wood composites. A sampling apparatus of VOCs for woodcomposites was designed and manufactured by Northeast Forestry University in China. Theconcentration of VOCs derived from wood based materials, such as flooring, panel wall, finishing,and furniture can be sampled in a small stainless steel chambers. A protocol is also developed inthis study to sample and measure the new and representative specimens. Preliminary research showedthat the properties of the equipment have good stability. The sort and the amount of differentcomponents can be detected from it. The apparatus is practicable.

Study on plant fiber/plastic composites as the substrate of floorboard

Three kinds of composites （fiber/Polypropylene, fiber/Polyethelene, and fiber/Polystyrene） were made by using hot pressing process for substrate of floorboard and the properties of each kind of composites were tested. MORs of PP/wood fiber, PS/fiber, and PE/fiber composites with coupling agent added were raised by 18.4%, 37.1%, and 42%. respectively, compared to those without coupling agent. Among the three kinds of fiber/plastic composites, fiber/PP composite has best mechanical properties, and it can meet quality standard of eligible grade product and come up to the excellent grade products of China when the coupling agent is added. The performance of composite made of PE/fiber or PS/fiber can exceed qualified product grade only with coupling agent added.

Microwave Irradiation Treatment of Wood Flour and Its Application in PVC-Wood Flour Composites

The technique of microwave irradiation induced free radical bulk- polyaddition reactions in porous wood flour was used to modify wood flour. The behaviors of the modified wood flour under microwave irradiation, such as thermal stability and moisture sorption properties, were studied. A kind of semiinterpenetrating polymer network wood four （Semi-IPN-WF） can be formed through polymerization of MMA in the porous wood flour by microwave irradiation, and the thermal decomposition temperature of the semi-IPN-WF is considerably increased. PVC/Semi-IPN-WF composites were prepared by melt mixing in double rolls, which exhibit improved rheological properties, lower water sorption properties and outstanding mechanical performances.

Properties of paper mill sludge–wood fiber–HDPE composites after exposure to xenon-arc weathering

We used paper mill sludge（PMS） to substitute for part of the wood fibers（WF） used to reinforce high density polyethylene（HDPE）.The resulting composites were subjected to xenon-arc weathering.The composite filled with limited PMS（under 10 %） had mechanical properties and aging resistance similar to those without PMS.The composites containing more PMS faded and cracked more readily than those without PMS.Based on the carbonyl index,crystallinity,and wood index,PMS appeared to accelerate the degradation of composites during weathering.Adding PMS to WF–HDPE composites reduced the weathering resistance,and this reduction was not significant if the PMS content did not exceed 20 % of the wood fibers.Therefore,PMS could be used as a reinforcement in wood-plastic composites at levels less than20 % of the wood fiber content.

Research advance in wood composites in China

Wood composites can generally be classified in three parts: laminated composites, mixed composites and penetrated composites. Every part has its own characteristic and can be further divided. This paper introduces the history and the state of development of wood composites in China. The research about glue-laminated timber is rare and the industry hardly comes to being. A great of achievements have been obtained in mixed composites and it is well industrialized. Many studies on scrimber have been done and the Chinese researchers are looking for a feasible way to develop the scrimber industry in China. Chinese researchers also spent so much energy in studying wood plastic composites (WPC), but it has not been industrialized due to the high cost.