STUDIES ON MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES OF WOOD-POLYMER COMPOSITES

Composite plates of wood chips and high density polyethylene (HDPE) ma trix were prepared and characterized. Mechanical properties of these c omposites were evaluated by tensile, static 3-point bending and nail w ithdrawal tests according to ASTM-D1037-89 (for wood-base fiber and pa rticle panel materials). The tensile strength and break strain of the composites were obtained from the tensile test; and the modulus of rup ture (MOR), stiffness and peak load (P) were obtained from the static 3-point bending test. Nail pull-out tests were carried out to obtain i nformation on the adhesion of nail in the composites. It was found tha t these wood-polymer composites exhibit attractive mechanical properti es for application as particle board. The effect of wood chip size and volume percentage on the mechanical properties of these composites wa s also studied. The resultant fracture surfaces of stretched and bent samples were analyzed using an environmental scanning electron microsc ope (ESEM).