The U.S. Navy has many waterfront structures that are wholly or in part constructed from timber components. These components are currently concentrated in fendering systems that act to dissipate berthing energies for piers and docks. A need currently exists for replacement components that have properties similar to solid wood but do not require creosote treatment for efficacy against biological degradation. This paper provides an overview of a project aimed at developing wood-plastic composite replacement components for treated timber members in naval waterfront facilities. The project is composed of four disciplinary groups (Materials, Structures, Demonstration, and Recycling) that collectively contribute to the over-all and specific project goals, Significant changes to the material and component design must occur to turn this new material class into high-load bearing applications in naval structure.s Any material formulation, design, or process change to improve the structural performance must maintain or improve the current moisture resistance and cost characteristics. Our vision of producing performance wold-plastic composites with high structural capacity involves the reinforcing of engineered wood-plastic formulations with continuous synthetic fibers. The components will be produced in relatively complex net-sections using efficient production techniques. The current research has addressed the influence of raw material, formulation, and process parameters on unreinforced material properties. The basic influence of reinforcement has focused on low additions of continuous fibers.
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