Efficient Creep Investigation of Wood-Plastic Composites in Bending Mode

Wood-plastic composites (WPC) are widely used in structural applications where deformation under static long term loads is a major issue. In this study, the creep behavior of WPC materials is investigated by the use of an efficient creep test program in three point bending mode.

Introduction

Wood-plastic composites (WPC) are promising and sustainable materials typically containing plant fibers combined with thermoplastic matrices. The usually large portion of cellulosic fiber reinforcement allows for structural applications such as load bearing wood like boards and beams. In this regard, especially long term flexural loading is the most common use case, which is why knowledge about the corresponding time-dependent deformation behavior is decisive for reliable application. While generally various standardized test procedures are available for WPCs[1], in the present study a specific creep and creep-recovery test program is used for the mechanical characterization of various birch wood fiber reinforced polypropylene (PP) materials. This application report shows the excellent applicability of the used Anton Paar Modular Compact Rheometer with additional linear lower drive for creep characterization. 

References

[1] Kallakas et al. (2019). „Birch heartwood WPCs“, BioResources 14(2), 3554-3566.

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