Comparison of Melting Processes for WPC and the Resulting Differences in Thermal Damage, Emissions and Mechanics
The necessity for resource-efficient manufacturing technologies requires new developments within the field of plastic processing. Lightweight design using wood fibers as sustainable reinforcement for thermoplastics might be one solution. The processing of wood fibers requires special attention to th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Materials |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/9/3393 |
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| author | Sebastian Wiedl Peter Karlinger Michael Schemme Manuela List Holger Ruckdäschel |
| author_facet | Sebastian Wiedl Peter Karlinger Michael Schemme Manuela List Holger Ruckdäschel |
| author_sort | Sebastian Wiedl |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The necessity for resource-efficient manufacturing technologies requires new developments within the field of plastic processing. Lightweight design using wood fibers as sustainable reinforcement for thermoplastics might be one solution. The processing of wood fibers requires special attention to the applied thermal load. Even at low processing temperatures, the influence of the dwell time, temperature and shear force is critical to ensure the structural integrity of fibers. Therefore, this article compares different compounding rates for polypropylene with wood fibers and highlights their effects on the olfactory, visual and mechanical properties of the injection-molded part. The study compares one-step processing, using an injection-molding compounder (IMC), with two-step processing, using a twin-scew-extruder (TSE), a heating/cooling mixer (HCM) and an internal mixer (IM) with subsequent injection molding. Although the highest fiber length was achieved by using the IMC, the best mechanical properties were achieved by the HCM and IM. The measured oxidation induction time and volatile organic compound content indicate that the lowest amount of thermal damage occurred when using the HCM and IM. The advantage of one-time melting was evened out by the dwell time. The reinforcement of thermoplastics by wood fibers depends more strongly on the structural integrity of the fibers compared to their length and homogeneity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:57:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1ac17a745d0d4ada8c20370bb293a54b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1944 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:57:14Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Materials |
| spelling | doaj.art-1ac17a745d0d4ada8c20370bb293a54b2023-11-23T08:42:44ZengMDPI AGMaterials1996-19442022-05-01159339310.3390/ma15093393Comparison of Melting Processes for WPC and the Resulting Differences in Thermal Damage, Emissions and MechanicsSebastian Wiedl0Peter Karlinger1Michael Schemme2Manuela List3Holger Ruckdäschel4Department of Plastics Technology, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Campus Rosenheim, Technical University of Applied Sciences Rosenheim, Hochschulstraße 1, 83024 Rosenheim, GermanyDepartment of Plastics Technology, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Campus Rosenheim, Technical University of Applied Sciences Rosenheim, Hochschulstraße 1, 83024 Rosenheim, GermanyDepartment of Plastics Technology, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Campus Rosenheim, Technical University of Applied Sciences Rosenheim, Hochschulstraße 1, 83024 Rosenheim, GermanyDepartment of Environmental Technology, Faculty of Chemical Industry and Economics, Campus Burghausen, Technical University of Applied Sciences Rosenheim, Robert-Koch-Straße 28, 84489 Burghausen, GermanyDepartment of Polymer Engineering, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447 Bayreuth, GermanyThe necessity for resource-efficient manufacturing technologies requires new developments within the field of plastic processing. Lightweight design using wood fibers as sustainable reinforcement for thermoplastics might be one solution. The processing of wood fibers requires special attention to the applied thermal load. Even at low processing temperatures, the influence of the dwell time, temperature and shear force is critical to ensure the structural integrity of fibers. Therefore, this article compares different compounding rates for polypropylene with wood fibers and highlights their effects on the olfactory, visual and mechanical properties of the injection-molded part. The study compares one-step processing, using an injection-molding compounder (IMC), with two-step processing, using a twin-scew-extruder (TSE), a heating/cooling mixer (HCM) and an internal mixer (IM) with subsequent injection molding. Although the highest fiber length was achieved by using the IMC, the best mechanical properties were achieved by the HCM and IM. The measured oxidation induction time and volatile organic compound content indicate that the lowest amount of thermal damage occurred when using the HCM and IM. The advantage of one-time melting was evened out by the dwell time. The reinforcement of thermoplastics by wood fibers depends more strongly on the structural integrity of the fibers compared to their length and homogeneity.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/9/3393biocompositespolypropylenewood fiberscompounding methodsthermal damagevolatile organic compounds |
| spellingShingle | Sebastian Wiedl Peter Karlinger Michael Schemme Manuela List Holger Ruckdäschel Comparison of Melting Processes for WPC and the Resulting Differences in Thermal Damage, Emissions and Mechanics Materials biocomposites polypropylene wood fibers compounding methods thermal damage volatile organic compounds |
| title | Comparison of Melting Processes for WPC and the Resulting Differences in Thermal Damage, Emissions and Mechanics |
| title_full | Comparison of Melting Processes for WPC and the Resulting Differences in Thermal Damage, Emissions and Mechanics |
| title_fullStr | Comparison of Melting Processes for WPC and the Resulting Differences in Thermal Damage, Emissions and Mechanics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparison of Melting Processes for WPC and the Resulting Differences in Thermal Damage, Emissions and Mechanics |
| title_short | Comparison of Melting Processes for WPC and the Resulting Differences in Thermal Damage, Emissions and Mechanics |
| title_sort | comparison of melting processes for wpc and the resulting differences in thermal damage emissions and mechanics |
| topic | biocomposites polypropylene wood fibers compounding methods thermal damage volatile organic compounds |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/9/3393 |
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