Ability of heating to enhance water uptake in wood/plastic composites

June Mitsuhashi and J.J. Morrell

Department of Wood Science and Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
Abstract Purpose Wetting wood plastic composites (WPCs) prior to testing can be challenging because of the inherent water repellency of the plastic. The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of heating and wetting to accelerate moisture uptake on two WPCs. Design/methodology/approach Full size samples of the two WPCs were immersed in water at various temperatures or heated in an autoclave. Samples were removed periodically and dissected to determine the moisture prole by oven drying and weighing. Findings Moisture uptake is accelerated by heating, but the effect is mainly conned to the outer 5 mm of the samples. Moisture levels deeper in the samples are largely unaffected. Research limitations/implications Moisture uptake can be enhanced by heating, but the inability to increase moisture levels deeper in the wood suggests that tests assessing the role of moisture on WPC properties should use thinner specimens to ensure that moisture is well distributed in the materials. Practical implications The results suggest the need for a re-evaluation of test methodologies for WPCs where moisture uptake is an integral part of the procedures to more closely align the methods to the WPC/moisture behaviour. Originality/value This paper will help researchers develop better methods for assessing the role of moisture in WPC behaviour. Keywords Moisture, Durability, Heating, Composite materials, Wood, Plastics Paper type Research paper

Introduction
Wood/plastic composites combine the exceptional resistance of plastic to water intrusion and biological attack with the stiffness and low density of wood to produce a material that is promoted as being impervious to degradation. Although the plastic component slows moisture intrusion, a number of studies have shown that wood plastic composites (WPCs) can still absorb water and moisture levels can reach those suitable for biodegradation of the wood component. This process, however, is fairly slow and the time frames required to achieve moisture regimes suitable for decay development are often too long to be useful in traditional decay tests. A number of standard methods call for soaking the WPC in water for varying periods prior to testing for material properties or resistance to biological degradation, but most of these methods use relatively short times that are unlikely to produce elevated moisture conditions beyond 1-5 mm from the surface. These moisture conditions may poorly reect those found under natural conditions where moisture uptake can occur over many months. Developing improved methods for enhancing short-term moisture uptake in WPCs will be important for using small scale tests, standard tests to assess the durability and material properties of these composites. One possible approach to improving moisture uptake is to use heat to enhance uid movement. Heating will reduce uid viscosity and, at higher
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temperatures, could create the potential for more water vapour to move through the wood. Heating could also condition the wood matrix, rendering it more susceptible to moisture uptake, but there are few reports on the effects of such heating on the rate of moisture uptake. In this report, we describe the effects of heating in water at various temperatures on moisture distribution in two commercial WPCs.

Materials and methods

Trex (Trex Co., Inc., Winchester, Virginia) and Veranda (Universal Forest Products, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin) were purchased locally. Each material contained approximate 50 per cent wood and 50 per cent plastic. The Trex was from the same batch used in previous studies (Wang and Morrell, 2004, 2005), while the Veranda had not been previously tested. Both materials are composed of approximately 50 per cent large wood particles and 50 per cent polyethylene. The boards (29 mm thick for Trex or 24 mm for Veranda by 125 mm wide by various lengths) were cut into 150 mm long samples. Although previous studies had shown that penetration along the cut end-grain did not noticeably differ from that found on the side surfaces (Wang and Morrell, 2004), the samples were coated with epoxy resin to ensure that moisture could only intrude into the samples on the extruded faces. The samples were then immersed in water maintained at 5, 20-23, 50 or 708C for 14 days. An additional set of samples of each material was immersed in water and autoclaved at 1218C for up to 4, 6 or 12 h. The 12 h steaming period was accomplished using two 6 h steam periods with an 18 h cool down period in between. At selected time points, three samples of each material at each temperature condition were removed. A 5 mm thick cross-section was cut every 25 mm from the end of each sample to product three sections. These sections were then 174

Pigment & Resin Technology 39/3 (2010) 174 177 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited [ISSN 0369-9420] [DOI 10.1108/03699421011040811]

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cut with a bandsaw to produce sections corresponding to 0-5 mm, 5-10 mm and the centre core from the wood surface as previously described (Wang and Morrell, 2004). These sections were weighed, then oven dried (1038C) for at least 24 h. The samples were cut reweighed and the differences between wet and dry weights were used to calculate moisture content, which was expressed on a wood weight basis.

Results and discussion

As expected, moisture levels in Trex samples rose most quickly near the surface, but moisture levels remained relatively al1ow in all zones. Moisture levels reached only 10 per cent near the surface in samples exposed at 58C, and rose to 15 per cent when soaked at room temperature. Samples soaked at 508C reached 20 per cent in the outer zone, while those soaked at 708C reached 25 per cent moisture content. Moisture levels further into the samples experienced little change at 58C, room temperature or 508C, even after 14 weeks of immersion. Moisture contents in the Trex samples did increase 5-10 mm from the surface when the material was heated at 708C, but moisture levels only reached 7 per cent and the core moisture content did not appreciably change. The rates of moisture increase near the surface were slightly better than those found previously with this material, but the differences were probably not worth the expense of heating (Wang and Morrell, 2004) (Figure 1). Moisture changes in Veranda samples were also largely conned to the outer 5 mm over the 14 day immersion period except at the higher temperatures. Moisture content in the

outer 5 mm was only 15 per cent after 2 weeks at 58C and increased to 20 per cent at room temperature. Heating at 508C resulted in a moisture content of 30 per cent in the outer zone after 2 weeks. Moisture levels in the outer zones of samples heated at 708C reached over 35 per cent moisture content after 10 days of immersion, although moisture levels after 14 days were only 30 per cent. The slight uctuations in moisture content over time reect the use of different samples at each time point because of the need to destructively sample the materials. Moisture regimes further into the sampled changes little when soaked at 58C or room temperature, but increased slightly when soaked at 508C (5 per cent MC). Soaking at 708C had a marked effect on moisture content away from the surface of the Veranda material, with moisture contents reaching 15 per cent 5 to 10 mm from the surface and 5 per cent at the core (Figure 2). The 14-day period was chosen because it was thought to be a reasonable period of time to enhance moisture uptake without creating logistical problems with the test method in terms of tying up heating units or allowing microbial activity in the water (primarily bacteria) to begin to inuence the materials. While heating improved moisture uptake, the effects were still largely limited to the outer 5 mm of a sample. In a bending test, this increase could have signicant effects on material properties; however, the slight increases in moisture content near the surface would likely have little effect on the overall decay susceptibility of the material in a biological test. Prolonging exposure time to the fungus could accomplish the same result without the need for heating.

Figure 1 Moisture content (wood basis) 0-5 mm from the surface, 5-10 mm from the surface, or at the core of sections of Trex immersed in water
TREX - 5C 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0 3 7 Days 10 14 ZONE 1 ZONE 2 CORE 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0 3 7 Days 10 14 ZONE 1 ZONE 2 CORE TREX - Room temperature

(a)
TREX - 50C 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0 3 7 Days 10 14 ZONE 1 ZONE 2 CORE 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0 3 ZONE 1 ZONE 2 CORE

(b)
TREX - 70C

7 Days

10

14

(c) Notes: (a) 5C; (b) 20-23C; (c) 50C; (d) 70C for 14 days

(d)

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Pigment & Resin Technology Volume 39 Number 3 2010 174 177

Figure 2 Moisture content (wood basis) 0-5 mm from the surface, 5-10 mm from the surface, or at the core of sections of Veranda immersed in water
Veranda - room temperature Veranda - 5C 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 5 0 3 7 Days 10 14 ZONE 1 ZONE 2 CORE 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0 3 7 Days 10 14 ZONE 1 ZONE 2 CORE

(a)
Veranda - 50C 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0 3 7 Days 10 14 ZONE 1 ZONE 2 CORE 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0 3 ZONE 1 ZONE 2 CORE

(b)
Veranda - 70C

7 Days

10

14

(c) Notes: (a) 5C; (b) 20-23C; (c) 50C; (d) 70C for 14 days

(d)

The potential for heating at higher temperatures for shorter periods, however, was also of interest. Heating in an autoclave at 1218C was studied because it is relatively simple and controllable. Six hours was chosen as the maximum heating period because it t within a normal work day and could be applied repeatedly, if needed. Moisture content changes were largely conned to the outer 5 mm of both the Trex and Veranda samples. Moisture contents of the Veranda samples increased steadily with increasing autoclave time to 25 MC after 12 h. MCs of Trex samples increased more rapidly, reaching 25 per cent in only 4 h, but did not increase further with additional heating. The variations in moisture uptake rates illustrate the difculty in using a single regime for increasing moisture levels in WPCs that can have markedly different water uptake properties. Heating at 1218C also introduces the potential for altering the durability of the wood components as well as the material properties of the composite (Figure 3).

Figure 3 Moisture content (wood basis) 0-5 mm from the surface, 5-10 mm from the surface, or at the core of sections
TREX - 121C 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0 4 Hours 6 12
ZONE 1 ZONE 2 CORE

(a)
Veranda - 121C 40

Conclusion
Heating WPCs in water improved initial uptake of water compared to soaking in cold water, but the effect was largely limited to the outer 5 mm of both materials tested. The results suggest that tests requiring WPCs to be wet prior to evaluation will require much longer water storage periods as well as the use of thinner samples to ensure uniform moisture distribution. Failure to produce adequate moisture uptake prior to testing will produce test results that poorly reect the actual effects of moisture on properties in exterior environments. This conundrum implies the need to re-examine moisture related test methodologies associating with assessing WPC properties to ensure that they produce representative results. 176

35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0

ZONE 1 ZONE 2 CORE

4 Hours

12

(b) Notes: (a) Trex; (b) veranda immersed in water and heated at 121C in an autoclave for 3, 6 or 12 hours

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References
Wang, W. and Morrell, J.J. (2004), Water sorption characteristics of two wood-plastic composites, Forest Products Journal, Vol. 54 No. 12, pp. 209-12. Wang, W. and Morrell, J.J. (2005), Effects of moisture and temperature cycling on material properties of a wood/plastic composite, Forest Products Journal, Vol. 55 No. 10, pp. 81-3.

Further reading
ASTM (2006a), ASTM Standard D1413-99. Standard test method for wood preservatives by laboratory soil block cultures, ASTM Annual Book of Standards, Wood, Vol. 4.10, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, pp. 213-9. ASTM (2006b), ASTM Standard D7031-04. Standard for evaluating mechanical and physical properties of woodplastic composite products, ASTM Annual Book of Standards, Wood, Vol. 4.10, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, pp. 765-72. Morrell, J.J., Stark, N.M., Pendleton, D.E. and McDonald, A.G. (2006), Durability of wood-plastic composites, Wood Design Focus, Vol. 16 No. 3, pp. 7-10. Morris, P.I. and Cooper, P. (1998), Recycled plastic/wood composite lumber attacked by fungi, Forest Products Journal, Vol. 48 No. 1, pp. 86-8.

Schmidt, E.L. (1993), Decay testing and moisture changes for a plastic-wood composite, Proc. American Wood Preservers Association, Vol. 89, pp. 108-9 (Abstr.). Shi, S.Q., Gardner, D.J. and Wang, J.Z. (2000), Estimating maximum water absorption of wood ber/polymer uff composites, Wood Fiber Science, Vol. 32 No. 3, pp. 269-77. Silva, A., Gartner, B.L. and Morrell, J.J. (2007), Towards the development of accelerated methods for assessing the durability of wood plastic composites, Journal of Testing and Evaluation, Vol. 35 No. 3, pp. 203-10.

About the authors

June Mitsuhashi is a Graduate Student in the Department of Wood Science & Engineering at Oregon State University. She has a BS from the University of Guadalajara (2000), a MS from Oregon State University (2007) and is currently pursuing a PhD. J.J. Morrell is a Professor in the Department of Wood Science & Engineering at Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA. He has a BS from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Syracuse (1977), an MS from Penn State (1979) and a PhD from (SUNY) at Syracuse (1981). J.J. Morrell is the corresponding author and can be contacted at: jeff.morrell@oregonstate.edu

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