Effect of Die Pressure on Mechanical Properties of Wood-Plastic Composite in Extrusion Process

This article presents an experimental study on the effect of die pressure on mechanical properties of a woodplastic composite (WPC) in an extrusion process. The strength-pressure relationship could govern the selection process of the equipment (size), especially for the load bearing applications of WPCs. A modular die was designed and manufactured to produce rod shaped products of various diameters. The induced pressure was also recorded. Tests on tensile and flexural strengths were carried out and bulk densities were measured. The results illustrate that an increase in die pressure significantly increases the strength of the product accompanied with a decrease in porosity and an increase in bulk density. When the pressure increased to 5-folds, for smaller product size, the tensile and flexural strengths increased to 3-folds and 2-folds, respectively.