Mechanical and thermal behavior analysis of wood–polypropylene composites

Abstract

Bio-based materials have attracted great attention due to their good mechanical properties, biodegradability, low cost, and easy processing, especially abundant resources. In this work, polypropylene (PP) composites reinforced with 15, 30 and 45 wt% wood powder (WP) were prepared by injection molding and their thermal, mechanical, and dynamic mechanical properties were characterized. It was found that the strength and modulus of the composite materials in the tensile and bending tests significantly increased, but the impact strength decreased. The dynamic mechanical test also showed that the storage modulus increased with the increase of WP content. WP endowed the composite material with rigidity and strength, but it was not good for toughness. Besides, the addition of WP did not change the crystal structure of the composites, while the degree of crystallinity decreased. WP-filled PP composites with stable mechanical and thermal properties have great potential to replace traditional glass fiber-reinforced composites in many fields such as construction, sports equipment, and the automotive industry.