Effects of Wood Properties on the Behaviors of Wood Particle Reinforced Polymer Matrix Composites

Abstract

Polymer matrix composites, reinforced with various types of particles are being widely used to reduce the overall weight of structures because of their good combination of various properties such as high strength to weight ratio, good fatigue properties, corrosion resistance, etc. However, most of the polymeric materials are not bio-degradable. As a result, demands of natural fiber reinforced composites are increasing day by day. Considering this, initiative was taken to develop wood saw dust particles reinforced polymer (unsaturated polyester) matrix composites with varying proportions (5 and 10% by weight [w/w]) of various wood saw dust particles. The developed composites were characterized by means of Tensile Test, fractography of the broken tensile test samples and water absorption test. Experimental results exhibited that addition of wood particles decreases the tensile strength of the composites and that, for higher strength wood, the degradation of the tensile strength of the composites is minimized. Addition of wood particles increases the water absorption of the composites. Water absorption of both pure polyester and wood particle reinforced composites has been found to increase with increase in time. However, the overall water absorption behaviors of the composites are dependent on the density of the wood used. © 2014 JSR Publications. ISSN: 2070-0237 (Print); 2070-0245 (Online). All rights reserved. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jsr.v6i3.15811 J. Sci. Res. 6 (3), 431-443 (2014)