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Mechanical Properties of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)/Sawdust

Composites under Wide Range of Strain Rate

Article  in  Applied Mechanics and Materials · January 2015

DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.754-755.83

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Applied Mechanics and Materials Vols. 754-755 (2015) pp 83-88 Submitted: 05.01.2015
© (2015) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland Accepted: 05.01.2015
doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.754-755.83

Mechanical Properties of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)/Sawdust

Composites under Wide Range of Strain Rate

Mohd Firdaus Omar1* , Haliza Jaya1, Hazizan Md Akil2,3, Zainal Arifin Ahmad2,
N.Z. Noriman1
1
CEGeoGTech, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Kompleks Pengajian Jejawi 2, 02600 Arau, Perlis
2
School of Material and Mineral Resource Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia,
14300 Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
3
Cluster of Polymer Composites (CPCs), Universiti Sains Malaysia,
14300 Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
*firdausomar@unimap.edu.my; haliza.jaya@gmail.com; hazizan@usm.my; srzainal@usm.my;
nznoriman@unimap.edu.my

Keywords: Strain rate, composite, mechanical properties, deformation, wood sawdust, yield
stress, ultimate compression strength, modulus, rigidity, post damage analysis

Abstract. An experimental approach based on the conventional universal testing machine (UTM)
was employed to perform low strain rate loading (0.001/s, 0.01/s and 0.1/s) in this research, to
examine the reliance of natural filler contents towards HDPE/sawdust composites. By following to
the low strain rate loading, static compression properties of HDPE/sawdust composites with varies
filler contents of 5 wt% SD, 10 wt% SD, 15 wt% SD, 20 wt% SD and 30 wt: % SD were
successfully studied. The results show that the yields stress, ultimate compression strength and the
rigidity properties of HDPE/sawdust composites were sturdily affected by both filler contents and
strain rate loadings. Moreover, for the post damage analysis, the results clearly show that different
static loading employed to the specimens gives significant effects towards deformation behavior of
HDPE/sawdust composites. The increasing of static loading employed caused the specimens to
experience severe deformation.

Introduction:
Wood plastic composite (WPC) is one of engineering wood products that consist primarily of wood
and thermoplastic polymers and increase significantly in used application for many purposed .These
materials are a relatively new family of composite materials, in which a natural fiber is mixed with
a thermoplastic. Compared with the traditional synthetic fillers [1], natural fibers present lower
density, less abrasiveness, lower cost and they are renewable and biodegradable. WPCs are
becoming more and more commonplace by the development of new production techniques and
processing equipment [2].
In WPCs, interaction between filler and matrix play a major role in determining the overall
properties of the composite. One of the most important characteristic that should not be neglected
on static behaviour analysis is the amount of filler that being reinforced to the matrix. In spite of its
acknowledged importance, the association between sawdust loadings and strain rate under static
loading of WPCs is not well documented and has never been testified in the past. For these reasons,
the experiments stated here were designed to study the effects of strain rate and particulate sawdust
loadings, towards the static mechanical properties of HDPE/SD composites, under a wide range of
strain rates. An experimental technique, based on the compression conventional universal testing
machine (UTM), was introduced to perform low strain rate testing on HDPE/SD composites. In this
study, WSD filled HDPE composites at five different volume of particulate sawdust (5%, 10%,
15%, 20% and 30%). Additionally, the post damage analysis of HDPE/SD composites for each
different volume of particulate sawdust was also investigated.

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84 Advanced Materials Engineering and Technology III

Results and Discussion:

Yield Behaviour
Figure 1comprises of pure HDPE as a control and various HDPE/sawdust composites with different
filler weight percentage under a wide range of strain rate loadings. From Figure 1 it is interesting to
note that the yield stress of HDPE/sawdust composites increased as the weight percentage of
particulate sawdust increased over varies strain rates applied up to a certain extent. It is noted that
above 15 wt% SD, the yield stress shows decrement pattern. It was believed that above 15 wt% SD,
the filler of particulate sawdust agglomeration will disturb the stress transfer between matrix and
filler result to weaken the yield stress as the particulate sawdust volume increases. Similar finding
was also reported by Zuiderduin et al [3] and Deschanel et al [4] concerning to this trend which had
been validated by other polymer composite system. Moreover the strain rate also gives significant
effect towards yield stress of HDPE/SD composites. As a result, it can be observed that, the higher
the strain rate applied, the higher the value of yield stress for all the tested specimens.

Figure 1: The yield stress value of HDPE/sawdust composites under a wide range of strain rate
loadings a function of filler contents

Strength and Rigidity

Fundamentally, the strength and rigidity of tested HDPE/sawdust composites are acknowledged
based on their ultimate compression strength and compressive modulus. This is vital in recognizing
the composite material performance under static loading. Hence, in this research, the ultimate
compression strength of pure HDPE and its composites were acquired as portrayed in Figure 2.
From the Figure 2, it is obviously can be seen that the ultimate compression strength increases from
pure HDPE to 15wt% SD. However, when filler content is above than 20 wt%, it started to
decrease. This trend can be clarified as the roles of filler within HDPE matrix. This phenomenon is
resulting from agglomeration of filler in the composite. At higher filler contents, particles tend to
agglomerate and this will indirectly increase the voiding issues between matrix and filler [5].
Fundamentally, this voiding issue may react as stress concentrators thus significantly reduce the
properties of tested composites. Hakim et al [6] in their study also found that the increment of filler
content may enhance its strength, flexural and impact properties but, further increment of filler
contents will result poor in strength properties and the highest strength can be only achieved at low
filler loadings. Since HDPE is a hydrophobic matrix while sawdust is hydrophilic filler, therefore,
both matrix and filler will experience poor interfacial adhesion [7]. The filler incapable to endure
the stress transmission efficiently and resulting low compression strength as filler increased [8].

The compression modulus of the composites at wide range of low strain rate loadings as a function
of filler contents as clarified in Figure 3. It is shown in Figure 3 that the compression modulus
increases gradually with increasing of the particulate sawdust from 5% to 30%. For all
HDPE/sawdust composites, it was noted the high compression modulus value as compared to the
 Applied Mechanics and Materials Vols. 754-755 85

pure HDPE. This significant different in the result between pure HDPE and its composite is
initiated by addition of filler in the matrix which makes it more rigid [9, 10]. It is believed that at a
high strain rate, the polymer chains is restricted due to the insufficient time to re-orientation
themselves thus increase the rigidity and these accumulated the intermolecular forces that would
give the strengthening effect to the polymer [10]. As a result, the HDPE/sawdust composites
become more rigid and stiff as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 2: The ultimate compressive strength, UCS value of HDPE/sawdust composites under a
wide range of strain rate loadings as a function of filler contents

Figure 3: The compression modulus value of HDPE/sawdust composites under a wide range of
strain rate loadings as a function of filler contents
Post Damage Analysis
Physical Analysis
Figure 4 (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f) show images of HDPE/sawdust composites of 5 wt% SD, 10
wt% SD, 15 wt% SD, 20 wt% SD and 30 wt% SD under a wide range of strain rate loadings
(0.001/s, 0.01/s and 0.1/s). It obviously can be said that different static loading applied to the
specimens, it strongly disturbs the deformation behavior of the HDPE/sawdust composites. The
increments of static loading applied caused the samples to become shorter as shown in Figure 4 (a),
(b), (c), (d), (e) and (f). All the HDPE/sawdust composites were measured and summarized into
Figure 4. It can be seen that HDPE/sawdust composites shows an increasing trends of deformation
86 Advanced Materials Engineering and Technology III

as the strain rate loading increased. For 10 wt% SD contents, it shows an outstanding deformation
as compared to the other filler contents. While for 30 wt% SD contents it shows the least
deformation. To sum up all, as the filler content increased, it tends to make the composites become
more rigid [11]. As a result, the great quantities of filler can hold the matrix tightly as the load
applied to it [12].

(a) (b)

(c) (d)
 Applied Mechanics and Materials Vols. 754-755 87

(e) (f)
Figure 4: HDPE/sawdust composites with different filler contents (a) HDPE, (b) 5% WSD, (c)
10% WSD, (d) 15% WSD, (e) 20% WSD and (f) 30% WSD under wide strain rate loadings

Summary
According to the emphasized outcomes, it can be resolved for the effect of filler contents on the
compressive properties of the HDPE/sawdust composites, further additions of filler contents were
decreased the compressive properties of HDPE/sawdust composites under different strain rate
loadings. Besides, as the strain rate loadings were increased it increased the deformation of
HDPE/sawdust. For the mechanical response of HDPE/sawdust composites as a function of filler
content, the remarkable trends were observed for the yield stress when filler contents were
increased to 15 wt%, it increased the yield stress but somehow, up to 20wt% filler contents it
reduced the yield stress. Similar trend also observed for the ultimate compression strength for the
effects of filler contents as further increments of filler contents caused to increase the ultimate
strength up to 15 wt% of filler. But when beyond the 20 wt% fillers, the ultimate compression
strength was decreased due to the agglomeration problem within filler and matrix.

Acknowledgements
The author would like to acknowledge the Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP)(Grant no.:
1001/PBAHAN/ 8043057, 9003-00390, 9007-00067, 9017-00014) and Universiti Sains Malaysia
(USM) (Grant no.: 811070) for sponsoring and giving financial assistance during this research
work.

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