Effect of temperature on the fracture mechanism of wood–plastic composites in situ

An experimental study was carried out to investigate the effect of temperature on the mechanical properties and the fracture mechanism of wood–plastic composites (WPCs) under tension. The specimens were prepared via injection molding of various weight fractions of pine wood particles and high-density polyethylene (with and without coupling agent, maleic anhydride-grafted polyethylene (MAPE)). The deformation and fracture behaviors of the samples at different temperatures were studied using a portable microscope setup during the test. The results indicated the significant effect of the test temperature on the fracture mechanism of WPC specimens. At room temperature, the dominant fracture mechanism for the samples without MAPE was debonding, whereas wood cracking was the dominant fracture mechanism in the presence of MAPE. At high temperatures, debonding was prominent over wood cracking in all samples (with and without MAPE), whereas at low temperatures (below 0°C) wood cracking was the dominant fracture me...