Tensile and Impact Properties of Steam-Exploded Wood-Polypropylene Composites

Wood-plastic composites were made from polypropylene and steam-exploded (SE) flour from small-diameter loblolly pine.SE wood content, maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) content, and extruder screw speed were investigated using an orthogonal test design to examine their effects on tensile and impact properties of the composites.The results showed that as SE wood-flour content was increased, the modulus of elasticity (MOE) of the composites also increased, whereas the tensile strength decreased.The MAPP content had a distinct effect on the tensile strength and no such effect on MOE; however, it had no clear trend for the impact properties of the composites.The wood content had distinct effects on both the tensile and impact properties of the composites.The screw speed also affected the tensile and impact properties of the composites.