Dynamic Mechanical Analysis of Compatibilizer Effect on the Mechanical Properties of Wood Flour - High-density Polyethylene Composites

In this study, effect of MAPE (maleic anhydride polyethylene) as the compatibilizer on the mechanical properties of wood-flour polyethylene composites has been investigated by using Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA). Composites were made at 25% and 50% by weight fiber contents and 1% and 2% compatibilizer respectively. Controls were also made at the same fiber contents without the compatibilizer. Static mechanical tests including tensile and bending tests were performed. Temperature scans in the range of 110 to +100°C was also conducted. Results indicated improvements in the mechanical properties due to the compatibilizer addition. Storage modulus values were higher in the case of coupled composites especially at 50% fiber loading. Glass transition was hard to detect in all composite systems while increasing fiber content slightly shifted alpha transition to higher temperatures. MAPE had negligible effects on the main transitions but the effect of fiber content on the intensity and temperature of alpha transition seemed to be proportional to the fiber content. Mechanical loss factor spectra showed that at 50% fiber content, the compatibilizer caused a reduction in tan8 values indicating less energy loss when the compatibilizer was present.