Preliminary study of viscoelastic properties of MAPP-modified wood flour/polypropylene composites

Viscoelastic properties of maleated polypropylene (MAPP)-modified wood flour/polypropylene composites (WPC) were investigated by both a compression stress relaxation method and dynamic mechanical analyses (DMA). Three wood to polymer ratios (40:60, 60:40, and 80:20) and five MAPP loading levels (0, 1, 2, 4 and 8%) were used to study their effects on the viscoelastic properties of MAPP-WPC. The results show that: 1) higher wood to polymer ratio corresponds to higher stress relaxation levels for unmodified WPC. The modification with MAPP has an obvious effect on the stress relaxation of MAPP-WPC at higher wood to polymer ratios (60:40 and 80:20), but almost no effect at the 40:60 wood to polymer ratio. The optimal MAPP loading level for the wood to polymer ratio of 60:40 appears at 1%; 2) the storage modulus reaches its maximum at a MAPP loading level of 1% for wood to polymer ratios of 40:60 and 60:40, while for the 80:20 wood to polymer ratio, a higher storage modulus is observed at higher MAPP loading levels, which is quite consistent with the stress relaxation results. The results suggested that a suitable loading level of MAPP has a positive effect on the viscoelastic properties of WPC at higher wood to polymer ratios. Excessive MAPP loading would have resulted in adverse effects.     

Properties of PEG/thermally modified wood flour/polypropylene (PP) composites

In order to improve the dimensional stability of wood-polymer composites, wood flour pre-treated by polyethylene glyco1 (PEG) at two different concentrations and then thermally treated at 140°C, was used as raw material to produce wood flour/polypropylene (PP) composites at a wood content of 40%. The structure of modified wood flour was analyzed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and its effect on the physical and mechanical properties of wood flour/PP composites was evaluated. The SEM results indicated the "bulking" effect of PEG on wood flour, which resulted in reduced water uptake. The combination of PEG and heat treatment further improved the moisture resistance of the composites. However, PEG modification had a negative effect on the flexural modulus of rupture (MOR) and the modulus of elasticity (MOE); whereas heat treatment partly compensated for this reduction. For dynamic mechanical properties, PEG treatment decreased the storage modulus (E′). However, the heat treatment resulted in an increase of E′ of the wood flour/PP composites, with the temperature of loss factor peaks shifting to a higher temperature.     

Effect of adding steam-exploded wood flour to thermoplastic polymer/wood composite

The effect of steam-exploded wood flour (SE) added to wood flour/plastic composite was examined using SE from beech, Japanese cedar, and red meranti and three kinds of thermoplastic polymer: polymethylmethacrylate, polyvinyl chloride, and polystyrene. Addition of SE increased the fracture strength and water resistance of the composite board to an extent dependent on the polymer species and the composition of wood/SE/polymer. However, water resistance decreased with the increasing proportion of SE when SE meranti was added. Effects of the wood species of SE on the properties of resulting board were small. An increased moisture content of wood flour or SE (or both) increased the variation of board performance.     

Toughening wood/polypropylene composites with polyethylene octene elastomer （POE）

Introduction Wood-Plastic Composite (WPC), due to its high stiffness, low density, low cost, environment friendly characteristics such as recyclablity and biodegradability, is gaining more and more interests, both in research and application. However, one…     

Effect of maleic anhydride grafted styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene （MA-SEBS） on impact fracture behavior of polypropylene / wood fiber composites

MA-SEBS as compatibilizer and impact modifier was incorporated into Polypropylene/Wood Fiber （PP/WF） to enhance interface adhesion and impact strength of the composite. The effect of MA-SEBS content on the impact fracture behavior of PP/WF composites was studied. The impact properties of composites with 8% MA-SEBS reached the maximum value. And further increasing of MA-SEBS content to 10% did not improve the fracture toughness, but improved the stiffness of composites by DMA analysis. This was attributed to the improved PP/WF adhesion. As the MA-SEBS content is more than 8%, the molecule interaction of PP and WF was expected to much stronger than lower MA-SEBS. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） was performed to analyze the impact fracture surface and showed a stronger affinity for the wood surfaces.     

MA-SEBS对木纤维/聚丙烯复合材料冲击断裂行为的影响(英文)

马来酸酐接枝苯乙烯-乙烯-丁烯-苯乙烯(MA-SEBS)用作聚丙烯/木纤维复合体系的界面相容剂及冲击改性剂,来提高其界面粘接及冲击强度。研究了MA-SEBS含量对PP/WF复合材料冲击断裂行为的影响,当MA-SEBS含量达到8%时,冲击性能达到了最大值,进一步增加到10%并未提高其断裂韧性,但动态热机械分析(DMA)表明复合材料刚性的提高,这归因于PP/WF界面的改善,当MA-SEBS超过8%,聚丙烯与木纤维分子间的相互作用增强。扫描电子显微镜(SEM)分析了样品的断裂表面,表明木纤维与聚丙烯表面强烈的界面粘结。图5表1参11。     

Dielectric properties of Simon poplar wood flour/polypropylene composite at oven-dry state

Interfacial compatibility is a crucial factor to the performance of wood-plastic composites （WPCs）. Yet, so far, the coupling mechanisms of WPC have not been completely understood. In order to further clarify the interfacial coupling mechanism, the dielectric constant and dielectric loss factor of Simon poplar wood flour/polypropylene composites without additives at different wood contents were measured at oven-dry state, and parameters and thermodynamic quantities of the relaxation process were also analyzed and calculated. Consequently, an obvious relaxation process based on the reorientation of methanol groups in amorphous region of wood cell wall was observed exactly that its dielectric loss factor peak decreased with the decreasing wood content within the measured range of 50%-100%. With the trend of dielectric relaxation strength, the two changing trends both revealed that the existence of polypropylene could hinder reorientation of methanol groups. Following the decreasing wood contents, the effect of the hindrance on the dielectric properties turned obvious gradually. It elucidated that introduction of polypropylene caused the quantities of hydrogen bonds formed between each methanol group and the groups around it change. The same conclusion could be drawn from the analysis of thermodynamic quantities during the dielectric relaxation progress.     

Photodegradation of wood flour/polypropylene composites incorporated with carbon materials with different morphologies

ABSTRACT

In this study, wood flour/polypropylene (WF/PP) composites were prepared by incorporating 2?wt% carbon materials with different morphologies, including carbon black (CB), graphite (G), and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs). WF/PP composite without any additives was included as a reference. All composites were placed in the accelerated UV weathering tester for a total of 960 h. The physical and mechanical properties of composites were compared. The changes in surface morphology and surface chemistry were characterized by SEM AFM, and ATR-FTIR. The results showed that: (1) the addition of CNTs improved both flexural and impact properties of composites; (2) composites containing CNTs exhibited better color stability and less severe surface cracking during weathering; and (3) ATR-FTIR results revealed that all the additives alleviated surface photo-oxidation of composites due to their UV-screening effect. Overall, due to the improved interfacial bonding between WF and PP, CNTs were more effective in protecting wood–plastic composites from photodegradation.     

SEBS-g-MAH和原位接枝MAH对木粉/废旧塑料混合物复合材料力学性能的影响研究

由聚丙烯（PP）、高密度聚乙烯（HDPE）和聚苯乙烯（PS）组成的混合废旧塑料与木粉经高速混合机混合后,采用双螺杆/单螺杆串联挤出机组制备了木粉/混合废旧塑料复合材料。探讨了马来酸酐接枝苯乙烯-乙烯/丁烯-苯乙烯嵌段共聚物（SEBS-g-MAH）和原位接枝马来酸酐（MAH）对木粉/混合废旧塑料复合材料力学性能的影响。结果表明,与使用MAH和DCP的原位反应共混相比,SEBS-g-MAH显著提高了复合材料的抗冲击性能,但对拉伸和弯曲性能的改善不如原位反应共混显著。总的来说,混合废旧塑料制备的复合材料的力学性能要低于纯塑料混合物制备的复合材料,尤其是拉伸断裂伸长率。微观形态研究表明,添加SEBS-g-MAH和原位接枝MAH均可提高木粉与塑料混合物之间的界面相容性,但与添加SEBS-g-MAH相比,原位接枝MAH能更好的改善PP、HDPE、PS与木粉之间的界面结合。原位接枝MAH可被看作是一种改善木粉与塑料混合物间界面相容性的有效途径。此外,采用动态力学分析（DMA）进一步表征了复合材料的储能模量和阻尼因子。     

Effect of chemical modification on the properties of wood/polypropylene composites

对以铝酸酯为偶联剂对木粉进行表面改性处理后制备的木粉/聚丙烯复合材料的力学性能和形态学特征进行了研究。结果表明:铝酸酯偶联剂可以增加木塑复合材料的抗冲击强度,但会对复合材料的抗拉强度和抗弯强度造成负面的影响。对木塑复合材料的动态力学性能和微分扫描热量分析研究表明,以铝酸酯作为偶联剂,对木塑复合材料的储存模量和损失模量有少许增加,同时可降低材料的熔点和熔解热。利用扫描电镜观察木塑复合材料的木材与塑料界面发现,经铝酸酯处理过的木材与聚丙烯复合界面之间具有更好的相容性。这些研究结果表明,在木塑复合材料制造过程中利用廉价的铝酸酯作为木材化学改性剂,对改善复合材料的性质同样起作良好的作用。图6 表2 参16。     

Improvement in compatibility and mechanical properties of modified wood fiber/polypropylene composites

To improve the interfacial compatibility between wood fibers and polypropylene and the toughness of wood-fiber/polypropylene composites, maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (PP-g-MAH) and maleic anhydride grafted styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene copolymers (SEBS-g-MAH) were used as modifiers. Mechanical properties of wood-fiber/polypropylene (WF/PP) composites were improved when PP-g-MAH or SEBS-g-MAH was added. When either of these copolymers was added, the composites had better interfacial compatibility than the unmodified composite. This was verified by scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The mechanical properties of the composites were significantly improved because of the good interfacial bonding between wood fibers and polypropylene when PP-g-MAH and SEBS-g-MAH were added. __________ Translated from Journal of Beijing Forestry University, 2007, 29(2): 133–137 [译自: 北京林业大学学报]     

Performance of thermomechanical wood fibers in polypropylene composites

ABSTRACT

Thermomechanical wood fibers, as usually used for medium density fiberboard or cardboard production, feature promising characteristics, like a high aspect ratio, for the utilization in thermoplastic composites. The present study investigates the influence of fiber loading and fiber geometry on the mechanical properties of wood-polypropylene composites in order to confirm the results that were found in a previously published literature review. Composites were compounded at fiber contents from 20 to 60 wt.%, using a co-rotating twin-screw extruder and subsequently injection molded to test specimens. Field emission scanning electron microscopy was carried out to evaluate the fracture morphology of the composites. Fiber length was evaluated using an applying a dynamic image analysis system. Compounding reduced fiber lengths up to 97%. The mechanical properties decreased with increasing fiber content for composites without a coupling agent. Strength properties peaking at a fiber content of 50?wt.% for composites containing MAPP. Tensile strength and flexural strength reached 48.1 and 76.4 MPa, respectively. However, it was found that the processing of these fibers into conventional compounding equipment is still challenging.     

An analysis of Greek wood and wood product imports: Evidence from the linear quadratic aids

The consumption of wood and wood products in Greece is based greatly on imports necessitating every year a great proportion of public expenditures. The study of wood and wood product imports consequently, is important to the national economy and can be a useful guide for the forest farms, wood industries and wood firms. In this paper the Greek aggregate import demand for Unprocessed wood (such as logs) Processed wood (such as sawn wood), Veneer Crafts (such as veneer sheets) and Wood Manufactures during the period 1969–2001 is empirically analysed using the linear approximation of quadratic AIDS (QUAIDS) model. Imports of Unprocessed wood, Veneer Crafts and Wood Manufactures are found to be price-elastic, in contrast to Processed wood imports. Processed wood, Veneer Crafts and Wood Manufacture imports are found to be expenditure-elastic while Unprocessed wood is found to be an inferior good. Substitution possibilities are found to be significant between Veneer Crafts and all the remaining wood imports and between Processed wood and Unprocessed wood.     

The properties of flax fiber reinforced wood flour/high density polyethylene composites

Flax fiber(FF) was used to reinforce wood flour/high density polyethylene composites(WF/PE).WF/PE particles were uniformly mixed with FF via high-speed mixing and then extruded with a single screw extruder to prepare FF reinforced WF/PE composites(FF/WF/PE).Mechanical testing,dynamic mechanical analysis,scanning electron microscopy(SEM),creep measurement and Torque rheology were used to characterize the resulting composites.The results indicate that the mechanical performance of the composites could be remarkably improved by adding a limited amount of FF.The flexural strength and modulus increased by 14.6 and 51.4%,respectively(FF content of 9 wt%),while the unnotched impact strength could be increased by 26.5%(FF content of12 wt%).The creep resistance and toughness of thecomposite was markedly improved without changing the plastic content of the composite material.     

Comparison of protein-based adhesive resins for wood composites

The search for new value-added uses for oilseed and animal proteins led us to develop protein-based wood adhesives. Low-fat soy and peanut flours and blood meal were hydrolyzed in an alkaline state, and PF-cross-linked protein resins were formulated by reacting the protein hydrolyzates with phenol-formaldehyde (PF) in solid-tosolid ratios ranging from 70% to 50% hydrolyzates and 30% to 50% PF. Physical properties of medium density fiberboard (MDF) bonded with protein-based phenolic resins were compared to those of boards bonded with ureaformaldehyde (UF) and PF resins, and flakeboard bonded with soy protein-based phenolic resin was compared to PF-bonded board. As MDF binders, adhesive properties of protein-based phenolic resins depended upon protein content of proteinacious materials. MDF board bonded with blood-based phenolic resin was comparable to PF-bonded board and met the requirements for exterior MDF. Boards bonded with soy-protein-based phenolic resin met requirements for interior MDF, while peanut-based phenolic failed to meet some of the requirements. Flakeboard bonded with soy-protein-based phenolic resins was inferior to PF-bonded board but outperformed PF-bonded board in accelerated aging tests. Although they exhibit a slow curing rate, the cost effectiveness and superior dimensional stability of protein-based phenolic resins may make them attractive for some uses.     

木质复合材有机挥发气体采样舱

人造板释放的有害挥发气体有500多种,其中,重要气体包括萜烯、乙醛、酮, 苯和甲苯等.东北林业大学在国内率先研制出这种有机挥发气体采样舱,通过一个小的不锈钢环境舱,对复合材料如地板、墙板、涂料和家具制作材料释放的有机挥发气体浓度采样,并制定出相应的取样规程,初步研究实验表明:该采样仓各项性能稳定,采集的样品能够真实反映代表性气体的品种和数量,取样效果明显,该装置具有较高实用价值.     

Properties of paper mill sludge-wood fiber-HDPE composites after exposure to xenon-arc weathering

We used paper mill sludge(PMS) to substitute for part of the wood fibers(WF) used to reinforce high density polyethylene(HDPE).The resulting composites were subjected to xenon-arc weathering.The composite filled with limited PMS(under 10 %) had mechanical properties and aging resistance similar to those without PMS.The composites containing more PMS faded and cracked more readily than those without PMS.Based on the carbonyl index,crystallinity,and wood index,PMS appeared to accelerate the degradation of composites during weathering.Adding PMS to WF–HDPE composites reduced the weathering resistance,and this reduction was not significant if the PMS content did not exceed 20 % of the wood fibers.Therefore,PMS could be used as a reinforcement in wood-plastic composites at levels less than20 % of the wood fiber content.     

Analysis of Wood Anatomy Characteristics by Fast Fourier Transfer Image Analysis

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