Effect of filler content and size on the properties of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer-wood fiber composites

In this study, the main focus was on the effect of wood fiber (WF) content and particle size on the morphology and mechanical, thermal, and water-absorption properties of uncompatibilized and ethylene glycidyl methacrylate copolymer (EGMA) compatibilized ethylene vinyl acetate copolyrner-WF composites. For uncompatibilized composites, the tensile strength decreased with increasing WF content, whereas for compatibilized composites, the tensile strength initially decreased, but it increased for composites containing more than 5% WF. Small-WF-particle-containing composites had higher ten-sile strengths than composites containing larger WF particles, both in the presence and absence of EGMA. WF particle size did not seem to have much influence on the degradation behavior of the composites, whereas water absorption by the composites seemed to be higher in composites with smaller particle sizes for both compatibilized and uncompatibilized composites. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.