Mechanical Properties Variation in Wood—Plastic Composites with a Mixed Wood Fiber Size

Abstract

In this study, the influence of fiber particle size on the mechanical properties of a wood-–plastic composite (WPC) was investigated using a combination of experimental measurements and numerical modeling. Four different sizes of wood fibers (10–20 mesh, 20–40 mesh, 40–80 mesh, and 80–120 mesh) were used to reinforce high-density polyethylene (HDPE), either separately or in combination. The different sizes of fibers produced varying properties in the resulting composites. The smallest fiber size (80–120 mesh) resulted in the lowest flexural and tensile properties, but the highest impact strength (15.79 kJ/m2) compared to the other three sizes (12.18–14.29 kJ/m2). Using a blend of fiber sizes resulted in improved mechanical properties. Composites containing a mix of 20–40 mesh and 40–80 mesh fibers exhibited the best flexural (strength 74.16 MPa, modulus 5.35 GPa) and tensile performance (strength 48.27 MPa, modulus 4.30 GPa), while composites containing a mix of all four fiber sizes had the highest impact-resistant strength (16.08 kJ/m2). Several models, including the Rule of Mixtures (ROM), the Inverse Rule of Mixtures (IROM), and the Hirsch models, were used to predict the performance of WPCs. The ROM model was found to be the most accurate in describing the mechanical properties of WPCs reinforced with multi-size wood fibers, based on the sum squared error (SSE) analysis.