Effect of Temperature on the Thermal Conductivity of Wood-Plastic Composites

The thermal conductivity of wood-plastic composites in the solid and molten state (between 25 and 180 °C) is reported for polyethylene filled with pine wood flour (0 to 20%). The experimental data are compared with a simulation model to determine the effect of wood concentration. The results show that thermal conductivity decreases with increasing wood concentration in the solid state. Nevertheless, the effect becomes negligible in the molten state. The simulation model was found to give good prediction at low wood levels, but moves away from the experimental values when concentration increases.