Poly(vinyl chloride)–wood flour press mould composites: The influence of raw materials on performance properties

In this paper is described an approach to the study of the influence of the nature and the composition on the performance properties of wood flour/poly(vinyl chloride)(PVC) composites. The raw materials were mixed on a two-roll mill. The final composites were obtained by controlled press moulding. The results indicate that properties such as surface tension and flexibility do not change significantly with the composition in the chosen composition range. The colour is easily controlled by variation in the content and the type of wood flour. A thermal and morphological study has been performed on the raw materials and on the composites to assess the effect of wood flour on the stability of the composites. The inclusion of wood flour into PVC leads to poorer tensile properties. This effect is related to the lack of association between the wood flour and the PVC.