COMPARISON STUDY OF N_2 AND CO_2 AS PHYSICAL BLOWING AGENTS FOR INJECTION FOAM MOLDED WOOD-FIBER PLASTIC COMPOSITE

摘要

Due to rising environmental concerns, the plastic industry has been seeking bio-plastics that can replace current plastics. Efforts are continuously being made to reduce weight and cost without a major compromise to required properties. Foaming can offer a plastic with significant weight reduction. There has been research to evaluate the effects of chemical blowing agents (CBAs) on wood-fiber plastic composites (WPC). Although physical blowing agents (PBAs) have a number of advantages, their effects on WPC have not been fully investigated. Therefore, this research utilizes N_2 and CO_2 to analyze their effects on the foaming and mechanical properties of injection foam molded WPCs.