Studies on Mechanical Properties of Wood-Polymer Composites

Composite plates of wood chips and high density polyethylene (HDPE) matrix were prepared and characterized. Mechanical properties of these composites were evaluated by tensile, static 3-point bending and nail withdrawal tests according to ASTM-D1037-89 (for wood-base fiber and particle panel materials). The tensile strength and break strain of the composites were obtained from the tensile test; and the modulus of rupture (MOR), stiffness and peak load (P) were obtained from the static 3-point bending test. Nail pull-out tests were carried out to obtain information on the adhesion of nail in the composites. It was found that these wood-polymer composites exhibit attractive mechanical properties for application as particle board. The effect of wood chip size and volume percentage on the mechanical properties of these composites was also studied. The resultant fracture surfaces of stretched and bent samples were analyzed using an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM)