The Advanced Engineered Wood Composites (AEWC) Center at the University of Maine has developed a patent pending process to extrude nylon-wood composites. The combined factors of nylon-wood formulation and extrusion process parameters stabilize the wood and lower the melting point of the nylon. The nylon-wood composites have better material properties in strength, rigidity, temperature, and stability compared to pure nylon 6, 6. Dynamic mechanical properties help determine the end-use of the newly developed extruded nylon-wood composite. In this study, the dynamic mechanical property characterization of extruded nylon-wood composites were conducted by means of a dynamic mechanical thermal analyzer (DMTA), which includes storage modulus characterization, glass transition (Tg) measurement, physical aging effects, long-term performance prediction, and comparisons to similar products. The storage modulus of nylon-wood composite was found to be more temperature stable than pure nylon 6, 6. The Tg range of the nylon-wood composite was found to be between 23°C and 56°C, based on the decrease in storage modulus. A master curve was constructed based on the creep curves at various temperatures, 30°C to 80°C. The results show that the relationship between shift factors and temperature follows Arrhenius behavior. Nylon-wood composites have good temperature dependent properties. Wood fillers reduce the physical aging effects of nylon in the wood composite. The comparison of the nylon-wood composite with other similar nylon composite products indicates that the nylon-wood composite is a promising low-cost material for industrial applications.
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