Processing Influence on the Properties of Injection-Molded Wood Plastic Composites

Wood–plastic composites (WPCs) utilize wood particles as the reinforcing phase. These particles are susceptible to thermal degradation, which can happen while processing the WPCs in usual thermoplastic processes. In this work, we investigated the influence of different processing parameters in injec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of composites science Vol. 8; no. 10; p. 403
Main Authors Burgstaller, Christoph, Renner, Károly
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.10.2024
Subjects
Influence
Injection molding
Investigations
Mechanical tests
Melt temperature
Particulate composites
Polymeric composites
Process parameters
Temperature
Tensile strength
Thermal degradation
Thermoplastics
Viscosity
Austria
Germany
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Summary:Wood–plastic composites (WPCs) utilize wood particles as the reinforcing phase. These particles are susceptible to thermal degradation, which can happen while processing the WPCs in usual thermoplastic processes. In this work, we investigated the influence of different processing parameters in injection molding and their influence on WPC properties. To achieve that, WPCs with wood contents ranging from 10 to 50 wt% were processed using different process settings, and then characterized using mechanical testing and appearance changes. We found that the melt temperature showed a major influence, due to degrading the interface between the wood and the polymer matrix, while other parameters, like mold temperature and dwell pressure, showed only minor influence. Overall, the WPCs exhibited good process stability and, with proper process settings, their performance can be improved.
ISSN:2504-477X
2504-477X
DOI:10.3390/jcs8100403