ACCELERATED WEATHERING OF RUBBER WOOD-REINFORCED RECYCLED POLYPROPYLENE COMPOSITE

Abstract

The successful development of durable wood-plastic composite (WPC) cladding poses a challenge, hence investigating the effects of water immersion-freeze-thaw treatment on the physical properties, flexural strength (FS), and morphology of wood-recycled polypropylene composites. The behavior of wood plastic composite is difficult to predict due to the complexity of the structure of the material. Wood consists of cells (fibers) arranged in an intricate pattern, and the behavior of the material is a result of the behavior of the cells and the cell arrangement. In this study, different approaches were employed to analyze various degradation in the wood plastic composite. This study shows whether the flexural strength and thermal stabilization of the WPC will reduce or boost after introduction to water immersion-freezing-thaw cycling, as well as the degree of modifications in the ground characteristics (shade and roughness) of the composites after introduction to water immersion. This research is composed of new research on the weathering of wood-polymer composites (WPCs) and the findings of this research will be derived from rapid laboratory studies.