Effect of black pine sawdust on the mechanical properties of PP composites

Today studies on the recycling of waste materials increasingly gaining importance and increasing with the growing sensitivity to the environment. In this study, the changes in the mechanical properties of composite materials produced by adding the black pine sawdust with the polypropylene polymer matrix at different ratios were investigated. For the production of composite, black pine saw dust mixed with PP polymer and then, they were converted into pellets using twin-screw extruder and combined pelletizer. The obtained pellets were molded into composite boards in 250 x 250 x 2 mm dimensions via hot press molding technique. Then tensile, bending and impact resistance tests of composite boards produced were carried out according to ASTM standards. According to the results of the mechanical tests, the highest tensile strength value was found for the composite sample of 10% wood flour loaded composite, while the highest bending strength was found for the composite with 50% wood flour. In addition, the highest impact resistance was obtained for the 20% wood flour added sample among all composites