Evaluation of Wood Plastic Composites Produced from Mahogany and Teak

Abstract

Wood plastic composites (WPC) were made from Nigerian mahogany (Khaya ivorensis) and teak (Tectona grandis) wood particles and high density polyethylene and evaluated. The WPC were tested for flexural properties, water sorption, melt flow and thermal properties. The results obtained indicated that composites possessed adequate flexural strength (25.6 - 43.0 MPa) and were dimensionally stable (water absorption 1.3 – 28.0%; thickness swell 0.4 -5.0%). Melt flow and viscosities at 190oC were between 1.31 and 1.6 g/10 min and 46.5 and 57.1 kPa/s, respectively. Particle size (<2 mm versus <0.5 mm) significantly affected the properties of the WPC. Mahogany based composites had higher strength but lower sorption properties in comparison with those of Teak. The densities of the composites seemed to influence properties of the plastic composites. Keywords— Flexural properties, Khaya ivorensis, Tectona grandis, Water absorption, Wood plastic composites