LIQUEFIED TROPICAL WOOD POLYPROPYLENE COMPOSITES PREPARATION…液态热塑性木材聚丙烯复合材料制备.pdfVIP

Materials Physics and Mechanics 11 (2011) 126-136 Received: April 18, 2011 LIQUEFIED TROPICAL WOOD/ POLYPROPYLENE COMPOSITES: PREPARATION AND PHYSICO-MECHANICAL PROPERTIES * M.A.M. Mohd Idrus , S. Hamdan, Md.R. Rahman, Md.S. Islam Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University Malaysia Sarawak, 94300, Kota Samarahan, Malaysia. *email: mambi86@ Abstract. In this research, the effects of liquefied tropical wood (LTW) as reinforcing fillers in the thermoplastic polymer composite on the mechanical and physical properties were investigated. The LTW were prepared from tropical softwood species by using phenol as a reagent and sulphuric acid as a catalyst. Polypropylene (PP) as polymer matrix was used with LTW to made LTW/PP composites. The composites were prepared with 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt.% LTW using the hot-compression molding method. The effect of LTW on physico- mechanical properties of LTW/PP composites were evaluated using tensile test, three point bending test and water absorption test. It was found that the flexural modulus of elasticity (MOE) and Young’s modulus (E) increased due to the addition of LTW in the composites. In addition, the water absorption and thickness swelling coefficient increased with the LTW loadings. 1. Introduction Currently, synthetic polymers are combined with many biodegradable reinforcing types of filler in order to increase the mechanical properties and gained biodegradable and other physical characteristics demanded in actual applications. The demand for materials that is unharmfull to the body and having the appr