Swelling and thermal conductivity of wood and wood-plastic composite

Wood-plastic composites (WPCs) were prepared with low-grade wood (simul and mango) using methylmethacrylate (MMA) and butylmethacrylate (BMA) as the impregnating monomers under high-energy ionizing radiation from a Co-60 gamma source. Water absorption of both wood and WPC was studied in a stagnant water bed. Water absorption increases with time and then reaches equilibrium. Equilibrium moisture content decreases linearly with the increase of polymer loading. Thermal conductivities of wood and WPC determined using the line source probe method vary from 0.136 to 0.039 W/m degrees C at 20 degrees C. Thermal conductivities of untreated wood increase significantly with moisture content but no significant difference is observed in the case of WPC within the range of moisture content studied.