BEHAVIOUR OF WOOD-PLASTIC COMPOSITES AS NEW MARINE STRUCTURES UNDER WET CONDITIONS

Wood-Plastic Composites (WPC) are materials in which the wood or agro-based fibers or flour compose with a polymeric matrix in a molding or extrusion process. Adding coupling agent willlead to better bonding between these two materials. Several advantages of these products, including: acceptable strength, low weight and economic issues have caused to a rapid growth ofproduction and consumption [1]. In Iran, some local manufacturers demonstrate their favoritesfor production of these materials. This shows that understanding the behaviour of these products is interesting. Today, these products are introduced as a (composite) material for marine structures (Fig. 1) in developed countries, thanks to their special characteristics [1, 2]. The importance ofunderstanding the properties of these products could be seen in rapid trend of standardization of their properties [3]. This paper firstly aims to show some features of wood-plastic composites, especially relevant to utilization as a material for marine structures [4]. Secondly, the results of some new studies conducted on the properties of these products made in Iran are reported

Keywords:

Wood-Plastic Composites , Marine Structures , Wet Conditions