Dynamical mechanical properties of wood-high density polyethylene composites filled with recycled rubber

Abstract

Application of out-of-service rubber from a variety of sources is of both environment-protecting and resource-saving importance. To that end, recycled tire rubber was utilized as a filler to fabricate wood-high density polyethylene (HDPE) composite with enhanced toughening performance using the injection procedure in this work. Dosages of rubber powders were 0, 5, 10, and 15wt% based on the overall weight of poplar wood flour and HDPE (HDPE: wood flour = 70꞉30). The injection-fabricated composites were subjected to a four-cycle repetitive compressing loadings (0–3 kN) and dynamical mechanical analysis (DMA, room temperature to 150 °C, in the dual cantilever mode). It was found that the rubber-filled materials exhibit advantageous energy absorption performance compared to wood-HDPE composites under repetitive compressions. The rubber-filled wood-HDPE composites are thermomechanically labile in an environment with raised temperature. The HDPE matrix substance occupies the predominant role in thermally yielding of the overall composite, typically in the temperature range of 50–75 °C resulting in a loss modulus peak. Up to 130–150 °C, all the composites fully loses their moduli with loss factor (Tan δ) reaching its peak values of 0.30–0.38. To conclude, rubber-filled wood-HDPE is a qualified material applicable in proper temperature range.