Dynamical mechanical properties of wood-high density polyethylene composites filled with recycled rubber

Application of out-of-service rubber from a variety of sources is of both environment-protecting and resource-saving importance. To that end, recycled tire rubber was utilized as a filler to fabricate wood-high density polyethylene (HDPE) composite with enhanced toughening perfor-mance using the injection procedure in this work. Dosages of rubber powders were 0, 5, 10, and 15wt% based on the overall weight of poplar wood flour and HDPE (HDPE: wood flour = 70:30). The injection-fabricated composites were subjected to a four-cycle repetitive compressing load-ings (0-3 kN) and dynamical mechanical analysis (DMA, room temperature to 150 degrees C, in the dual cantilever mode). It was found that the rubber-filled materials exhibit advantageous en-ergy absorption performance compared to wood-HDPE composites under repetitive compressions. The rubber-filled wood-HDPE composites are thermomechanically labile in an environment with raised temperature. The HDPE matrix substance occupies the predominant role in thermally yield-ing of the overall composite, typically in the temperature range of 50-75 degrees C resulting in a loss modulus peak. Up to 130-150 degrees C, all the composites fully loses their moduli with loss factor (Tan delta) reaching its peak values of 0.30-0.38. To conclude, rubber-filled wood-HDPE is a qualified material applicable in proper temperature range.