Extrusion Foaming of Nano-Clay-Filled Wood Fiber Composites for Automotive Applications

This paper presents the foaming behaviors of high-density polyethylene (HDPE)-based and polypropylene (PP)-based wood fiber composites with a small amount of nanosized clay. Melt compounding was used to prepare various types of clay-filled, wood fiber composites, such as intercalated and exfoliated clay composites. Their morphology was determined by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The extrusion foaming was conducted using N ₂ as the blowing agent. The cell nucleation and growth behaviors of composite foams were studied while varying temperature, pressure, wood fiber content, and clay content. The effects of clay content and exfoliation degree on the final cell morphology of wood fiber/polyolefin/clay nanocomposite foams were identified.

File Size: 1498K

See papers presented at SAE World Congress & Exhibition, April 2008, Detroit, MI, USA, Session: Nanotechnology for Automotive Applications (Part 3 of 3) - Nanostructured Materials and their Characterization

Purchase more technical papers and save! With TechSelect, you decide what SAE Technical Papers you need, when you need them, and how much you want to pay. Learn more >