Studies on Thickness Swelling Mechanism of Wood Particle-Polypropylene Fiber Composite by Scanning Electron Microscopy

Abstract

This study was carried out through scanning electron microscopy to elucidate the mechanism of thickness swelling in wood particle-polypropylene composite which is a typical way of using wood and plastic materials. For this purpose, control particleboards and nonwoven web composites from wood particle and polypropylene fiber formulations of 100:0, 70:30, 60:40, and 50:50 were manufactured at target density levels of 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, and 0.8 g/cm³. Their water absorption and thickness swelling were tested according to ASTMD 1037-93 (1995). To elucidate thickness swelling mechanism of composite through the observation of morphological change of internal structures, the specimens before and after thickness swelling test by 24-hour immersion in water were used in scanning electron microscopy. From the scanning electron microscopy, thickness swelling of composite was thought to be caused by the complicated factors of degree of built-up internal stresses by mat compression and/or amount of wood particles encapsulated with molten polypropylene fibers during hot pressing. In the composites with wood particle contents of 50 to 60% at target densities of 0.5 to 0.8 g/cm³ and with wood particle content of 70% at target densities of 0.5 to 0.7 g/cm³, thickness swellings seemed to be largely dependent upon the restricted water uptake by encapsulated wood particles with molten polypropylene fibers. Thickness swelling in the composite with wood particle content of 70% at target density of 0.8 g/cm³, however, was thought to be principally dependent upon the increased springback phenomenon by built-up internal stresses of compressed mat.

Keywords

• wood particle;
• polypropylene fiber;
• nonwoven web composite;
• water absorption;
• thickness swelling;
• scanning electron microscopy