Effects of wood flour content and heat treatment on the dynamic mechanical and impact properties of LDPE/red balau (Shorea Dipterocarpaceae) composites
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-1-2021
Abstract
Red Balau saw dust was heat-treated at 180 degrees C and 200 degrees C for one hour and compounded with low-density polyethylene, LDPE, at 9, 20 and 37 wt%. The compounded materials were injection moulded into test specimens. Charpy impact assessment of the notched samples of the composites revealed that the peak load,P, and the critical stress intensity factor,K-c, increased with wood content and treatment temperature. While the energy to failure,W, and the critical strain energy release rate,G(c), decreased with wood content, the values were highest in composites made from wood flour treated at 180 degrees C and reduced in 200 degrees C treated wood composites. This behaviour revealed that heat treatment of wood flour at the 200 degrees C resulted in poorer impact properties of the composites. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed an increase in storage and loss modulus of composites made from untreated wood flour relative to the heat-treated ones. Tan delta values were also found to reduce in the heat-treated wood composites as a result of decreased damping. Heat treatment of wood flour at appropriate temperature enhanced both the mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of the composites.
Keywords
Heat treatment, Wood fibre modification, Impact properties, Dynamic mechanical analysis, Injection moulding
Divisions
Science
Funders
Universiti Malaya [PS347/2009C],Universiti Malaya [RG150/11AFR],Universiti Malaya [RF025B-2018],Tertiary Education Trust Fund,Federal Ministry of Education, Nigeria
Publication Title
Polymer Bulletin
Volume
78
Issue
9
Publisher
Springer Verlag (Germany)
Publisher Location
ONE NEW YORK PLAZA, SUITE 4600, NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES