Wood flour - Recycled polyol based polyurethane lightweight composites

Abstract

This work is focused on the production and characterization of lightweight polyurethane (PU) composites reinforced with pine wood flour (WF), which can have applications in car interior panels, construction, and acoustic insulation. A crosslinked PU formulated from a recycled polyol was used as matrix. The mechanical performance of the reinforced composites was studied through tensile, three point bending, and dynamic mechanical tests. The strength, modulus, and storage modulus increased with filler concentration.The addition of Al(OH) 3 did not reduce the flammability of the composites with low WF concentrations; however, some improvements were found in the case of composites prepared with 20 wt% WF.