Mechanical Properties of Acrylate-Styrene-Acrylonitrile/Bagasse Composites

Abstract

Mechanical properties of wood plastic composite, prepared from acrylate-styrene-acrylonitrile (ASA) and bagasse, were investigated. In this study, 10 to 50 phr of bagasse were used in order to obtain the wood plastic composite with superior mechanical properties. The wood plastic composites in the study were prepared by melt-blending technique. All materials were mixed by using a two-roll-mill, shaped into sheets by a compression molding machine and the specimens were cut with a cutting machine. Youngs modulus, flexural strength, flexural modulus, impact strength and hardness of the wood plastic composites were investigated and found to improve with increasing bagasse content. However, some composite properties, i.e., impact strength, was decreased by adding the bagasse and then become steady when the amount of bagasse added was more than 30 phr. It was concluded that wood plastic composites with the desirable mechanical properties can be formulated using ASA as the matrix polymer and 50 phr of bagasse.