What Is A Wood-Plastic Composite in Construction?
What Is A Wood-Plastic Composite in Construction?
Wood-plastic composites (WPCs) are a type of composite material made from wood fibers or flour and thermoplastic materials such as polythene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, or polylactic acid. They may also contain other filler materials.
WPCs are a subset of a larger category of materials called natural fiber plastic composites (NFPCs) that may include other types of fibers such as bamboo or straw. Chemical additives are often used to integrate the polymer and wood flour and facilitate optimal processing conditions.
The process for creating WPC was invented and patented by a company called Covema in 1960, who called it Plastic-Wood. Another company, Icma San Giorgio, later patented a process for adding wood fibers to thermoplastics.
Main Production Steps And Properties Of WPC
Wood-plastic composites (WPCs) are one of the most innovative materials to come onto the market in recent years. They are becoming increasingly popular for outdoor and indoor projects due to their unique combination of wood and plastics.
WPCs are composed of wood particles, like sawdust, wood shavings, or wood flour, mixed with thermoplastics like polyethylene, polypropylene, and PVC. WPCs, or wood-plastic composites, are made by mixing ground wood particles with heated thermoplastic resin.
They can be shaped using extrusion or injection molding and can be made from virgin or recycled thermoplastics such as HDPE, LDPE, PVC, PP, ABS, PS, and PLA. PE-based WPCs are the most common. Additives such as colorants and UV stabilizers can be added to tailor the final product to specific applications.
The manufacturing process can vary, with some facilities using pelletizing extruders and others using a single step of mixing and extrusion. WPCs require lower temperatures during processing than traditional plastics, but high temperatures can lead to burning and discoloration.
The ratio of wood to plastic in the composite affects the melt flow index, with more wood leading to a lower MFI.
Features Of Wood-Plastic Composites (Wpcs)
The benefits of Wood-Plastic Composites include the ability to mold them into various shapes and sizes, the option to dye or color them to match design specifications, increased durability and resistance to moisture and rot, higher heat resistance compared to traditional lumber, and the ability to perform drilling, planning, and sanding similar to regular wood.
Additionally, the inclusion of additives during manufacturing improves their dimensional stability.
Advantages Of Wood-Plastic Composites (Wpcs)
Wood-Plastic Composite is a sustainably built material that offers many advantages. It combines the strength of wood and the durability of plastic, making it an ideal choice for outdoor applications like decks, fences, and siding.
This composite material is resistant to harsh weather conditions and will not rot or decay over time. Additionally, it requires very little maintenance since it does not need to be treated or painted and can easily be repaired if needed. This makes Wood-Plastic Composite an attractive option for any homeowner looking for durable yet low-maintenance materials for their home projects.
The benefits of also using Wood-Plastic Composites (WPCs) include being termite and waterproof, having a good surface finish without the need for painting, staining, or oiling, requiring minimal maintenance, being durable and having a longer lifespan compared to traditional wood, being slip-resistant, being able to be formed into different shapes, being resistant to UV light, and being environmentally-friendly due to being made from recycled materials.
Disadvantages Of Wood-Plastic Composites
Wood-plastic composites have some disadvantages as well. It is not as strong or durable as traditional wood, and it can be prone to chipping and cracking. Additionally, the plastic in the composite can get brittle in colder temperatures, which makes it more vulnerable to breaking down over time.
The downsides of Wood-Plastic Composites include: a lack of tolerance to high temperatures, difficulty with laser cutting, absence of a natural wood appearance and touch, and a tendency to be easily scratched.
WPC Sandwich Boards
WPC boards have good performance, but monolithic composite sheets are often heavy, which limits their use in applications where weight is a concern. WPC sandwich boards, which consist of wood polymer composite skins and a low-density polymer core, offer a combination of the benefits of traditional WPCs and the lightweight properties of sandwich panel technology.
These boards are mainly used in the automotive, transportation, and building industries, and are also being developed for furniture applications.
New production processes have made it possible to produce stronger, stiffer WPC sandwich boards at lower costs compared to traditional plastic sheets or monolithic WPC panels.
Applications Of Wood-Plastic Composites
Wood plastic composites (WPCs) is rapidly becoming one of the most popular and valuable materials in engineering due to its strength, durability and sustainability. WPCs have become a vital part of construction projects in the areas of landscape, transportation, municipal engineering and building construction.
It has been used to replace traditional wood-based composites with an economically viable alternative that offers superior physical characteristics such as resistance to rot, decay, weatherization and fire while still retaining the aesthetic beauty of natural wood.
As it continues to gain popularity and demand, more applications are being discovered for the unique properties offered by this material.
