Effects of Heat-Treated Wood Particles on the Physico-Mechanical Properties and Extended Creep Behavior of Wood/Recycled-HDPE Composites Using the Time–Temperature Superposition Principle
Department of Forestry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
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Materials 2017, 10(4), 365; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10040365
Received: 10 February 2017 / Revised: 27 March 2017 / Accepted: 28 March 2017 / Published: 30 March 2017
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Sciences and Thermodynamics of Materials)
This study investigated the effectiveness of heat-treated wood particles for improving the physico-mechanical properties and creep performance of wood/recycled-HDPE composites. The results reveal that the composites with heat-treated wood particles had significantly decreased moisture content, water absorption, and thickness swelling, while no improvements of the flexural properties or the wood screw holding strength were observed, except for the internal bond strength. Additionally, creep tests were conducted at a series of elevated temperatures using the time–temperature superposition principle (TTSP), and the TTSP-predicted creep compliance curves fit well with the experimental data. The creep resistance values of composites with heat-treated wood particles were greater than those having untreated wood particles due to the hydrophobic character of the treated wood particles and improved interfacial compatibility between the wood particles and polymer matrix. At a reference temperature of 20 °C, the improvement of creep resistance (ICR) of composites with heat-treated wood particles reached approximately 30% over a 30-year period, and it increased significantly with increasing reference temperature.
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Keywords:
heat treatment; wood/recycled-HDPE composite; physico-mechanical properties; creep behavior; time–temperature superposition principle
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MDPI and ACS Style
Yang, T.-C.; Chien, Y.-C.; Wu, T.-L.; Hung, K.-C.; Wu, J.-H. Effects of Heat-Treated Wood Particles on the Physico-Mechanical Properties and Extended Creep Behavior of Wood/Recycled-HDPE Composites Using the Time–Temperature Superposition Principle. Materials 2017, 10, 365.
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