FLEXURAL STRENGTHS OF PERFORMANCE-DESIGNED WOOD FIBER COMPOSITES

Wood fiber-based composites are historically, and today, cost-driven c ommodity materials. This is partially a result Of the low cost of wood (two to five cents per pound) and the traditional way of using wood p roducts. Certain wood fibers have been shown to have specific tensile strengths comparable to certain nonwood engineered materials. Combinin g the positive attributes of wood fibers, modern thermosetting resins, and other polymeric systems with concerted research efforts may provi de ample opportunities for manufacturing wood fiber and wood fiber-non wood fiber hybrid composites for performance-designed and -driven, and cost sensitive applications. This study examines specific static flex ural properties and costs of aspen wood fiber composites and compares them with glass fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites. Also prese nted are the characteristics of polyisocyanate thermoset resins and th eir potential for bonding wood fibers with nonwood materials in manufa cturing hybrid composites.