The effects of incorporation of selected biocides on physical and mechanical properties of aspen strandboard were assessed using five copper-based preservatives or zinc borate at three retention levels. Tebuconazole or 4,5-dichloro-2-N-octyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (DCOI) were added as co-biocides to selective copper-based treatments. Mold box tests showed that only panels treated with DCOI...
Identifying material characteristics of composites is important in designing any
structural system. The aerospace industry relies on these material properties not only to
design a functional aircraft, but also a safe and reliable one. Since carbon fiber
composites are relatively new materials, little is known about its characteristics under
certain...
Ever since composite laminate technology was introduced into the aerospace and automotive industry, there has been a need to fully understand the damage progression experienced by composite laminated plates in the presence of a notch. While numerous research studies have been conducted on this matter when subjected to in-plane loads,...
Natural fibers such as wood, flax, and hemp are frequently used as fillers in natural fiber-plastic composites (NFPCs). At present, wood fiber is the most commonly used filler in the production of wood-plastic composites (WPCs). The advantages of these fibers compared to conventional inorganic fibers such as glass fiber is...
Bonding kinetics of thermosetting adhesives plays an important role
within wood based composites during hot pressing, and in determining
appropriate processing schedules for the manufacture of composites. A
dynamic method has been developed to offer a direct means for
investigating physical transformations that occur during bond
formation, and the influence...
Prepreg is widely used in composite manufacturing with advanced composites such as carbon and aramid. The material is characterized by a degree of flexibility (drape) and stickiness (tack), which allows an efficient layup on molds with complex shapes. However, axial instability of compressed fibers during the molding process may occur,...
The global motivation for this work comes from the desire to fabricate "plastic lumber" with improved mechanical properties (particularly creep resistance) from recycled plastics and wood composites. The present studies have utilized "virgin plastics" of polystyrene (PS), an amorphous, stiff material that exhibits brittle fracture, and high density polyethylene (HDPE),...