Advanced polymer/wood composite pellet process
AssigneeAndersen Corporation
InventorsMichael J. Deaner, Giuseppe Puppin, Kurt E. Heikkila
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Abstract
A polyvinyl chloride and wood composite pellet by extrusion. The polyvinyl chloride and wood fiber are introduced into the extruder at a ratio of approximately 6:4 by weight, respectively. The polyvinyl chloride is melted and blended with the wood fiber so that the interstitial voids of the wood fiber are filled with polyvinyl chloride. After being extruded through a die, the molten material is cut into pellets having a bulk density of preferably between 0.7 to 0.8 gm/mm.sup.3.
Claims9
A thermoplastic pellet comprising a composite consisting essentially of a continuous phase of a thermoplastic vinyl chloride homopolymer and dispersed in the continuous phase an effective amount of a cellulosic fiber to provide a material useful for manufacture of structural members having substantially increased strength and tensile modulus, wherein:
- (i) the fiber length ranges from about 1-10 mm and the fiber has an aspect ratio of at least 1.8,
- (ii) the ratio of the density of the physical mixture of the fiber and the polymer to the density of the pellet is less than 0.8, and
- (iii) the thermostet pellet is a right circular cylinder having a length of about 1 to 10 mm and a radius of about 1 to 5 mm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.