Flexural Strength of Polymer-Impregnated Eastern White Pine

Eastern white pine heartwood was impregnated with a mixture of styrene monomer and cross-linking agent. A wood-polymer combination was produced using a heat-catalyst technique. The flexural properties of the combination were measured in the oven-dry and air-dry moisture content conditions. Strength increases were greater than those predicted by the rule of mixtures. Styrene uptake was dependent on the growth rate of the individual wood samples, but the strength did not suffer in comparison with more uniformly-loaded, low density woods. At air-dry moisture content and equal density, the pine-polystyrene combination was found to be mechanically inferior to sugar maple. Reduction of wood cell wall hygroscopicity and promotion of chemical bonding between cell wall and polymer should improve the structural competitiveness of wood-polymer combinations made from low-density woods.

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