The effect of pre-softened wood chips on wood fibre aspect ratio and mechanical properties of wood–polymer composites

The objective of this work was to study the effect of chemical pre-treatment and moisture content of wood chips on the wood particle aspect ratio after compounding in a twin-screw extruder and on the mechanical properties of wood–polymer composites (WPCs). Composites with 50 wt.% wood content were manufactured using pre-treated and untreated wood chips. The effect of wood moisture content on composite properties was studied by using dried and undried wood chips. The mechanical properties and fracture surfaces of the composites as well as the microstructure and aspect ratio of wood particles after compounding were studied. The highest wood particle aspect ratio after extrusion was achieved by using pre-treated, undried wood chips as raw material. The chemical pre-treatment was found to enhance the defibration of wood chips as well as the mechanical properties of the composites.     

High Performance Materials from Oriented Plastics

Molecular orientation of polymer chains affects considerably the final properties of plastic products, such as stiffness, creep and impact resistance, barrier properties and transparency. Different orientation processes, such as solid state extrusion, die-drawing and roll-drawing are currently being investigated in order to produce parts with large dimensions. Examples include the die-drawing process for the obtention of oriented tubes and shapes, roll-drawing for flat and simple geometry profiles as well as uniaxial and biaxial solid state extrusion. These processes have been used successfully to form different materials, from polyolefins to engineering and specialty resins, and mechanical properties comparable to fiber reinforced plastics have been achieved. Solid state forming was performed in our laboratories on several polymeric materials using rolling, roll-drawing and solid state extrusion. Significant improvements in the mechanical behavior were observed and materials with tensile modulus and strength above 10 GPa and 400 MPa, respectively, were obtained. An improvement in the transverse mechanical properties was also observed for the roll-drawn polymers.     

Comparison of the characteristics of hydrothermal carbons derived from holocellulose and crude biomass

The effects of lignin removal on hydrochar were investigated by comparing the structural, chemical, and thermal characteristics of holocellulose and wood powder-derived carbon materials (hydrochar). The hydrochar samples were obtained from hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of holocellulose and wood powder at 210–230 °C for 9 h. The characteristics of the obtained products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. The observations reveal that the onset temperature of the HTC of holocellulose is lower than that of wood powder. The holocellulose-derived hydrochar samples exhibit higher carbon content and thermal stability with higher coalification degree and less complex chemical composition compared with resultant products based on wood powder. These results reveal that the holocellulose is easier to be disintegrated and hydrocarbonized without the shielding effects of lignin and suggest that the lignin removal is beneficial for increasing the rate and efficiency of the polysaccharide in biomass converting into hydrochar.     

Effects of Daniella oliveri Wood Flour Characteristics on the Processing and Functional Properties of Wood Polymer Composites

The effects of particle sizes/distribution and contents on the processing, changes in microstructure and functional properties of wood polymer composites (WPCs) prepared from virgin high-density polyethylene (vHDPE) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) treated Daniella oliveri wood flour via compression molding have been explored. Findings from this study suggested that an appropriate choice of wood flour characteristics could improve the interactions between the wood flour and the vHDPE matrix by eliminating incomplete wetting, segregation, and agglomeration of wood flour particles during processing while enhancing mechanical and thermal properties of the composites. Properties of the WPCs were optimized when wood flour of particle sizes/distribution and contents of +210–300 µm and 35 wt%, respectively, were blended with vHDPE matrix.     

Bamboo fibers for composite applications: a mechanical and morphological investigation

Bamboo fibers are very promising reinforcements for polymer composites production due to its high aspect ratio and strong mechanical performances. In order to better understand their reinforcing potential, the mechanical properties of single bamboo fibers extracted from eleven commercial bamboo species in China were measured with a newly developed microtensile technique. For comparison, the mechanical properties of mature single Chinese Fir and Masson Pine wood fibers were measured. The results show that the average longitudinal tensile modulus of the eleven kinds of bamboo fibers ranges from 25.5 to 46.3 GPa with an average value of 36.7 GPa. For tensile strength, the value ranges from 1.20 to 1.93 GPa with an average value of 1.55 GPa. The tensile strength and modulus of bamboo fibers are nearly two times of that of single Chinese Fir and Masson Pine fibers, and significantly higher than most of the published data for other softwood fibers. The average elongation at break of bamboo fibers is about 4.84 %, only a little lower than the value 5.15 % of the tested mature softwood fibers. Additionally, bamboo fibers were found to have smaller diameters and larger aspect ratio than most documented wood fibers, which favored an improved reinforcing effect. These combined mechanical and morphological advantages highlight the potential of bamboo fibers as the reinforcing phase in polymer composites for structural purpose.     

Effect of bark fiber content and size on the mechanical properties of bark/HDPE composites

Black spruce and trembling aspen bark fibers and high density polyethylene were used to process bark–plastic composites by extrusion. Fibers of fine, medium, and coarse size and contents of 50% and 60% based on oven-dry weight were used. The effects of species, fiber content and size on the flexural and tensile properties of the composite were investigated and were found to be highly significant. Black spruce bark composites exhibited higher strength but showed more brittle behavior than aspen bark composites. The effect of content on mechanical properties was more important than size. Compared to wood flour composites, those from bark showed lower strength.     

Tensile strength,ductility and fracture of magnesium-silicon alloys

Tensile tests were performed between 293–573 K in order to investigate the mechanical properties of cast and extruded Mg-Si alloys. For the cast materials, Mg-high Si ( 10 wt%) alloys showed lower values of the highest tensile strength at temperatures up to 373 K, as compared to pure Mg and Mg-low Si (<10 wt%) alloys, whereas the strength at 573 K increased with increasing Si content. The addition of aluminum and zinc to the alloys was effective in increasing the strength. The fact that the Mg-high Si alloys showed lower strength than the Mg-low Si alloys was because a high volume of Mg₂Si embrittled the Mg-Si alloys. Microstructural investigations revealed that the particles of Mg₂Si were coarse for the cast materials and fracture of the particles was caused by deformation. The mechanical properties of the cast materials were improved by hot extrusion. Microstructural refinement by hot extrusion was responsible for the improvement of the mechanical properties.     

Influence of texture on the mechanical properties of commercially pure magnesium prepared by powder metallurgy

In the present work the influence of texture on the mechanical properties up to 500 °C of commercially pure magnesium prepared by PM was determined. Extrusion of magnesium powders was carried out between 250 and 450 °C. All extruded materials exhibited an intense fibre texture with the basal planes parallel to the extrusion direction whose intensity increased in line with the extrusion temperature. The microstructure consisted of highly elongated magnesium powder particles. All the materials presented a heterogeneous grain size resulting from the size distribution of the original magnesium powder particles. In addition, small MgO particles were found mainly decorating the original powder boundaries. The best mechanical properties corresponded to the materials extruded at 400 and 450 °C. This behaviour was associated particularly with the intense fibre texture of these materials.     

聚丙烯纤维料树脂对无纺布性能的影响研究

目的 研究聚丙烯原料对无纺布的力学和加工性能的影响规律，从而制备出力学性能高、纺丝性能好的无纺布。方法 以不同熔融指数的聚丙烯粉料为基础树脂，使用不同的过氧化物与其进行共混熔融挤出造粒，然后采用气相色谱、高温凝胶渗透色谱、拉伸等测试手段对样品的基础物性、分子结构、气味、VOC、残留物和无纺布的力学性能及加工稳定性等方面进行表征与分析。结果 以熔融指数8 g/10 min(GB/T 3682.1—2018)的粉料为基础树脂，加入少量的3,6,9-三甲基-1,4,7-三过氧壬烷，挤出造粒制备出的4号树脂原料样品。该样品具有高的熔体流动性(MFR为35~40 g/10 min)、窄的分子量分布(3~5)、低灰分和鱼眼数、低气味、低残留的过氧化物等性能，从而制成拉伸强度高、纺丝效率高且加工稳定的无纺布成品。结论 基础聚丙烯树脂的分子量设计、原料的配方体系、工艺路线都对无纺布制品的力学性能和可纺性产生重要影响。     

Fabrication of Ni-P alloy closed cellular solid containing polymer by the pulse current hot pressing technique

Phenol resin sphere particles covered with nickel-phosphorus alloy were used for fabricating a metallic cellular solid with a fine structure by using the pulse current hot pressing (PCHP), which is also called spark-plasma-sintering (SPS) technique. During the sintering process, strong electric current pulses were applied on the particles in a die. The particles in the die were sintered in a shorter time and at lower temperature than that of normal sintering methods. The polymer materials inside the cells seem to remain partly after the sintering process. The mechanical properties of the cellular materials containing phenol resins were measured. The influence of the PCHP process on the mechanical properties of the specimens was examined.     

Physical and mechanical properties of injection-molded wood powder thermoplastic composites

In the last decades, filler-reinforced thermoplastics especially natural filler-reinforced plastics have been frequently used to improve the physical and thermal properties of polymer materials in plastic industry due to their low density, fully degradable, helpful to reduce the CO₂ emission, free from health hazard and low cost. At current study, wood powder/polypropylene composites (wood/PP) with different filler contents were molded by injection molding process to investigate the effect of filler content on the physical and mechanical properties of the composites. Additionally, the comparison of physical and mechanical properties between talc/PP (which has been widely used in the automotive products) and wood/PP has been carried out based on the tensile, bending, Izod impact tests and the scanning electron microscope observation on the fracture surfaces. Results showed that the highest mechanical property of wood/PP was determined at 30?wt.% wood content. More interesting is that, at the same composite density up to 30?wt.%, the mechanical property of wood/PP was much higher than that of talc/PP. Theoretically, Nielsen equation is often used to predict the elastic modulus of filler reinforced plastics, and in this study, the predicted values were in good agreement with experimental values up to 30?wt.%, after that, they were higher to the experimental values of wood/PP composite. It is considered that is due to the discounted of the distribution and orientation of the filler in the matrix in Nielsen equation.     

Die drawn wood polymer composites. I. Mechanical properties

Oriented wood polymer composites (WPC) have been prepared by the Leeds die drawing process. Softwood and hardwood powder were used at 40% weight concentration (32% volume concentration) and in both cases materials with significantly increased stiffness (from 1.9 to 8.2 GPa) and strength (from 13 to 127 MPa) were obtained. Although the moduli of the drawn filled composites were lower than the equivalent unfilled polypropylene, the specific moduli, which take into account the lower density of the die drawn materials due to void formation were very similar. The type of wood particles and the use of polypropylene grafted with maleic anhydride had only a marginal influence on the mechanical properties of the die drawn composites. The morphology of the wood composites was studied by electron microscopy.     

The characterization of decellularized human skeletal muscle as a blueprint for mimetic scaffolds

The use of decellularized skeletal muscle (DSM) as a cell substrate and scaffold for the repair of volumetric muscle loss injuries has shown therapeutic promise. The performance of DSM materials motivated our interest in exploring the chemical and physical properties of this promising material. We suggest that these properties could serve as a blueprint for the development of next generation engineered materials with DSM mimetic properties. In this study, whole human lower limb rectus femoris (n = 10) and upper limb supraspinatus muscle samples (n = 10) were collected from both male and female tissue donors. Skeletal muscle samples were decellularized and nine property values, capturing key compositional, architectural, and mechanical properties, were measured and statistically analyzed. Mean values for each property were determined across muscle types and sexes. Additionally, the influence of muscle type (upper vs lower limb) and donor sex (male vs female) on each of the DSM material properties was examined. The data suggests that DSM materials prepared from lower limb rectus femoris samples have an increased modulus and contain a higher collagen content then upper limb supraspinatus muscles. Specifically, lower limb rectus femoris DSM material modulus and collagen content was approximately twice that of lower limb supraspinatus DSM samples. While muscle type did show some influence on material properties, we did not find significant trends related to sex. The material properties reported herein may be used as a blueprint for the data-driven design of next generation engineered scaffolds with muscle mimetic properties, as well as inputs for computational and physical models of skeletal muscle.     

How does hydration affect the mechanical properties of wine stoppers?

Data related to the comparison of the mechanical properties of the different stoppers used in the wine industry are scarce. This study aims at comparing the effect of hydration (from 0 to 100 % relative humidity at 25 °C) on the mechanical properties of four widely used types of stoppers: natural corks, agglomerated corks, technical stoppers and synthetic (co-extruded) stoppers. For both natural and agglomerated corks, the Young’s modulus was significantly and similarly affected by hydration, with a constant plateau value up to 50 % relative humidity (RH) and a mean value around 22 and 14 MPa, respectively. For higher RH, the increase in water content leads to a decrease in the material rigidity (Young’s modulus <10 MPa), which is attributed to water clusters formation between polymer chains. Technical stoppers revealed a similar profile, but with a much smaller impact of the water content and with overall lower Young’s moduli values, around 5 MPa, throughout the RH range. The stiffness of synthetic closures was not affected by hydration, in agreement with the hydrophobic behavior of polyethylene. Differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis allowed us to identify a glass transition temperature (T _g) in cork (around 0 °C), and another one in agglomerated cork and technical stoppers (close to ?45 °C, corresponding to additives). All together, for the first time the data highlight the comparative mechanical properties of such materials of the wine industry, and the progressive loss of the “cork-like” behavior of cork composites when other components are mixed with cork.     

Effects of fiber characteristics on the physical and mechanical properties of wood plastic composites

We investigated the effects of fiber variability, size, and content on selected mechanical and physical properties of wood plastic composites. HDPE and fibers were compounded into pellets by twin-screw extrusion and test specimens were prepared by injection molding. All tested properties vary significantly with fiber origin. Higher fiber size produces higher strength and elasticity but lower energy to break and elongation. The effect of fiber size on water uptake is minimal. Increasing fiber load improves the strength and stiffness of the composite but decreases elongation and energy to break. Water uptake increases with increasing fiber content.     

Development of permanent magnet MnAlC/polymer composites and flexible filament for bonding and 3D-printing technologies

Searching for high-performance permanent magnets components with no limitation in shape and dimensions is highly desired to overcome the present design and manufacturing restrictions, which affect the efficiency of the final devices in energy, automotive and aerospace sectors. Advanced 3D-printing of composite materials and related technologies is an incipient route to achieve functional structures avoiding the limitations of traditional manufacturing. Gas-atomized MnAlC particles combined with polymer have been used in this work for fabricating scalable rare earth-free permanent magnet composites and extruded flexible filaments with continuous length exceeding 10 m. Solution casting has been used to synthesize homogeneous composites with tuned particles content, made of a polyethylene (PE) matrix embedding quasi-spherical particles of the ferromagnetic τ-MnAlC phase. A maximum filling factor of 86.5 and 72.3% has been obtained for the composite and the filament after extrusion, respectively. The magnetic measurements reveal no deterioration of the properties of the MnAlC particles after the composite synthesis and filament extrusion. The produced MnAlC/PE materials will serve as precursors for an efficient and scalable design and fabrication of end-products by different processing techniques (polymerized cold-compacted magnets and 3D-printing, respectively) in view of technological applications (from micro electromechanical systems to energy and transport applications).     

Fluidity and Flow Properties of Fine Powders

ABSTRACT

Fluidization and/or flow properties of many fine powders (d₅₀ < 50 μm), including pharmaceutical powders, toners, powder paints, and ceramic powders, are of critical importance. Particles in this range behave as cohesive powder because of the relatively large inter-particle forces (electrostatic, van der Waals', and liquid bridge forces), compared to the hydrodynamic force exerted on the particles by the fluid flowing around the particles. Flow additives, mechanical agitation, and other forces such as acoustic and electromagnetic, are often applied for good fluidization and uniform dilute phase flow. In this paper, we present a brief discussion and experimental data on fluidization properties, fluidity, and flow behavior of several fine powders as functions of particle size distribution, relative humidity, relative concentration of flow additives, and the frequency and amplitude of mechanical agitation. Electrostatic charging, dependent upon the chemical composition and electrical conductivity of the particles, and its influence upon the flow properties are also presented.     

An experimental method for measurement of strain distribution between wood the flour particles and polymer matrix on micro-mechanical level

Wood plastic composites (WPCs) are comprised of wood flour and thermoplastic polymer. The matrix is typically high-density polyethylene, poly (vinyl chloride), or polypropylene. The effect of morphology and micromechanics of wood flour particles on the mechanical performance of the bulk composite is a relatively unexplored area. The knowledge about the in situ properties of wood particles and the interfacial properties between the wood particles and the polymer matrix in the bio-composites is very limited. The objective of this work is to characterize the full-field deformation and strain distribution in and around wood particles embedded in polymer matrix. The mechanical tests are performed in small-scale tensile loading stage on thin composite samples containing 1-3 wood particles orientated at various angles. The deformations and strains is measured using optical measurement system based on Digital Image Correlation (DIC) principle.     

特种铝合金精密成形技术及其在国防科技领域中的应用

针对国防科技工业对材料高性能、高可靠性和低成本这一要求,采用特种合金颗粒作为铝合金的强化相,利用半固态触变成形及热挤压技术完成一种高性能铝合金棒材的制备。获得材料的抗拉强度达600MPa,硬度达160 HB。利用精密锻造及超塑性变形技术,可实现部件的批量制备,同时可保持材料高性能。生产的铝合金材料及其制品将凭借质量轻、力学性能高的优点,在航空航天及国防装备上有着广泛的应用前景。     

A comparative study on the effects of Coriolus versicolor on properties of HDPE/wood flour/paper sludge composites

In this study, the effects of white-rot fungus (Coriolus versicolor) on the properties of high density polyethylene (HDPE)/wood flour/paper sludge composites were examined. In addition, the effectiveness of using coupling agent on the durability of decayed and undecayed WPCs was investigated. Two different types of sludge materials, namely paper making waste water sludge (PS) and ink-eliminated sludge (IES) were used. The mechanical properties, morphology, and water absorption of fabricated composites were investigated. At a similar wood flour loading, except for modulus of elasticity, the fungi treated composites showed lower mechanical properties (such as modulus of rupture and unnotched Izod impact strength), and higher water absorption compared to untreated composites. According to the results, addition of wood flour decreased the resistance of the composites to moisture and fungal environment. The exposure of the composites to a 4-cycle (2, 24, 48 and 72 h) water immersion caused serious damage to the interfacial adhesion between wood flour and polymer matrix due to contraction and swelling stresses developed during the cyclic exposure. The detrimental effect of fungal treatment on the water uptake of the composites could be explained by the degradation of lignin which made the cellulose content more accessible. Further, it makes chains of cavities that accelerate water absorption. However, the weight losses of all cases of treated composites were low (less than 2.5%), while PS filled composites were more susceptible to white-rot fungi. The addition of coupling agent during the compounding of wood flour and HDPE prevented the colonization and proliferation of fungus on the surface of the composites, and had an advantageous effect on the water uptake and mechanical properties of both treated and untreated composites.