Experimental Investigation on Thermal Properties of Wood-Plastic Composites as Flat Panels

Abstract

The aim of this research is investigating the thermal properties of wood-plastic composites (WPCs) as flat panels. The study has included many properties such as: thermal conductivity, thermal stability, thermal expansion and melting point. The WPCs are composite materials made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) incorporated with wood flour taken from pine trees. The concentrations of wood in the composites are (10, 20 or 30 %). The work has done experimentally by manufacturing the specimens and measuring the thermal properties. The results show that the addition of 10% wood, to the composite, leads to reduce the thermal conductivity of WPC by 4-10%, reduce the thermal expansion by 8-12%, and to increase the melting point by (2-3°C) for both HDPE and PP wood composites. It has found also that wood could be used with plastics that have low melting points, or below the degradation temperature of wood (such as: HDPE, LDPE, PP, PVDF and PA) to ensure less mass loss and more thermal stability.