Effects of polymer molecular weight and filler particle size on flow behavior of wood polymer composites

Abstract The influence of polymer matrix molecular weight and filler particle size on rheological properties and extrudate distortions of metallocene polyethylene (mPE)/wood flour (WF) composites has been investigated by rotational and capillary rheometers. It was found that at low shear rates smaller filler particles provide higher shear viscosity than the larger sized filler. At high shear rates and WF loadings above 30 wt%, the effect of …