EFFECT OF WOOD FLOUR CONTENT ON THE PROPERTIES OF FLAT PRESSED WOOD PLASTIC COMPOSITES

This study focused on the effect of wood flour content on some mechanical and physical properties of flat pressed wood plastic composites (WPC). The results revealed changes in the wood flour content affected the density of flat pressed WPC. Moreover, as exposure time increased, water absorption values were increased. The changes in the wood flour content considerably affected the mechanical properties of WPC. The decrease in the flexural strength reached up to 58%, while it was 61% for tensile strength. However, modulus of elasticity increased with increasing wood flour content. Meanwhile, the decrease was inevitable for screw withdrawal strength, where the increase in wood flour content resulted in a reduction of up to 50%. It was clearly determined that wood flour content above 60% evidently affects the physical and mechanical properties of flat pressed WPC, which should be considered in the utilization areas where high mechanical properties are critical.