화학공학소재연구정보센터
Polymer Engineering and Science, Vol.48, No.1, 168-176, 2008
Viscoelastic evaluation of effects of fiber size and composition on cellulose-polypropylene composite of high filler content
The dispersion of filler in resin is an important factor which determines the mobility of a compound in a molder and also the mechanical properties of molded products in wood/plastic composite, especially with high wood filler content. In this report, the dispersion of components in the melt-mixture of a compound in response to the size of cellulose filler and resin content was examined for compounds with a high content of cellulose in polypropylene by the evaluation of viscoelasticity using a cone rheometer, and the following conclusions were obtained: (1) The viscoelasticity measured by a cone rheometer was dependent on the dispersion state of the compound, and it was confirmed that the presented evaluation method of viscoelasticity affords information relevant to the dispersion state of filler in a compound; (2) On the basis of the viscoelastic evaluation of compounds with different resin contents, a model for the distribution of cellulose and resin is proposed in terms of the tangle of fibers; (3) Viscoelastic analysis showed that cellulose size has an influence on the tangle of fibers; (4) The results of viscoelasticity and mechanical properties of molded products suggested that an important factor determining the tangle of fibers is the average aspect ratio. The proposed analysis of viscoelasticity presents a simple technique for estimating the dispersion state of a compound with high filler content, which is hardly possible by conventional fluid evaluation methods.