Improvements in processing characteristics and engineering properties of wood flour-filled high density polyethylene composite sheeting in the presence of hollow glass microspheres

Abstract

Hollow glass microspheres were introduced into wood flour/high density polyethylene composites by melt compounding in a twin-screw extruder. The prepared composites were subsequently converted to extruded profiles in order to obtain composite sheeting. The presence of hollow glass microspheres highly reduced the density of the extruded sheets down to 0.91 g/cc, while improving its flexural modulus. The presence of hollow glass spheres further improved the visual appearance by eliminating warpage. Thermal conductivity of the sheets was reduced down to 0.25 W/mK without significantly changing the melt viscosity. The morphological analysis indicated a satisfactory state of dispersion of hollow glass microspheres in the sheeting. The presence of hollow glass microspheres resulted in sharper contours of the extruded profiles and improved nailability and screwability.