Effects of Indigenous Wood Specie and Plastic/Wood Ratio on Physicomechanical Properties of Wood Plastic Composites

Abstract

As noted wood flour species plays an important role in the properties of the resulting composites. The effect of wood species as filler and reinforcement agent on physical and mechanical properties of the WPC was investigated. The used wood species in this study were Ceiba pentandra; Triplochiton scleroxylon and Entandrophragma cylindricum at plastic/wood ratio of 1:2.3, 1:1.5 and 1:1 (w/w). The physical and mechanical properties such as water absorption, thickness swelling, linear expansion, density, weight gained, flexural modulus and strength were tested. Entandrophragma cylindricum ranked highly in mechanical properties at plastic/wood ratio of 1:2.3, and more dimensionally stable at plastic/wood ratio of 1:1. As the wood content increases in the formulations of the composite, the increased in the flexural and decreased in dimensional stability of the composites produced. This observation follows the same trend in all the wood species employed for the production of composites tested. Based on the results, the guidelines information from this study could be used as a basis for WPC manufacture in tropical country like Nigeria.