DSC Analysis and Mechanical Properties of Wood—Plastic Composites

Abstract

Wood fiber-reinforced recycled plastic composites (WRPCs) manufactured from sawdust and post-consumer high density polyethylene (HDPE) were studied in this article. The thermal, flexural properties and impact strength of the manufactured WRPCs were determined according to the relevant standard specifications. Effects of mix ratio, wood fiber length, type, and content of coupling agent on the mechanical properties of WRPCs were investigated. The fracture surfaces of WRPCs after impact test were examined and the fracture mechanism of WRPCs due to impact was also analyzed in this article. The results indicated that incorporation of wood fibers resulted in higher melting and slower crystallization rate of WRPCs. A linear relationship between cooling rate and crystallization rate was observed. With the increasing of the wood fiber weight fraction, the flexural strength of WRPCs increases. The longer the wood fiber length, the less the flexural strength of WRPCs under the conditions of this study. The Charpy impact strength decreases with the increasing of wood fibers content in WRPCs. It appears that the optimum compatibilizer content for wood and recycled HDPE mixing is 5% in weight fraction.