Physical and mechanical properties of wood-polymer composite based on polylactide and aspen wood flour

The object of research is a wood-polymer composite (WPC) containing 75% polylactide and 25% aspen wood flour (hereinafter referred to as WPC composite). This work aimed to experimentally determine the numerical values of the physical and mechanical characteristics of the WPC composite to form a finite element model. Method. The study includes physical experiments to determine the physical and mechanical properties of the obtained WPC, as well as their comparison with the generally accepted physical and mechanical properties of pure polylactide and pure aspen wood. The experiments include determining the compressive strength, tensile strength and bending strength, according to accepted standards. Results. The compressive strength of the test material was 53.6 MPa, the tensile strength was 23.4 MPa, and the bending strength was 47.3 MPa. The determined values will allow calculating the supporting structure in a software package based on the finite element method Compared with pure polylactide and pure wood, the compressive strength increased by 36% and 18%, respectively. This comparison indicates the need to introduce a reinforcement element into the calculated section to increase the strength limits.