Structure and Mechanical Behaviour of Wood-Fibre Composites

Abstract: Wood fibres have several advantages compared to man-made synthetic fibres: they have high specific stiffness, are renewable, relatively inexpensive, available in industrial quantities and biodegradable. However, to increase and diversify their utilisation, it is necessary to increase the understanding on what controls their mechanical properties.In this work, the hygroelastic behaviour of isolated wood fibres has been investigated using an analytical model and a finite element model based on three dimensional images obtained using synchrotron-based X-ray micro-computed tomography. It was thus possible to show how the cell wall responds to a mechanical load or a change in ambient relative humidity.The wood fibres were then mixed with a biopolymer aiming to produce a cost-efficient, 100% renewable composite material. The microstructure of the produced composites has been characterised using X-ray microtomography and digital image processing. It was for instance possible to measure the moisture-induced swelling of fibres embedded in a polymeric matrix. The experimental results have then been successfully compared with prediction obtained with a finite element model. The length of the fibres inside the composite has also been measured from three dimensional images, aiming to understand how each step of the processing chain is affecting the degradation of the aspect ratio of the reinforcing fibres.The presence of defects inside the composite has also been quantified using X-ray microtomography. The effects of the defects on the tensile strength have been predicted using an analytical model. The results have been compared with the measured tensile strength on each sample, showing that the size and orientation of the critical defect controls the tensile strength of the material.Finally, wood-fibre mats without any matrix material were compressed in the chamber of a microtomographic scanner. Sequential images were taken during the test. Using digital volume correlation, it was possible to calculate the local strain field inside the material. The effects of heterogeneities on the strain field have then been investigated. The applied compressive load resulted in transport of material from high to low density regions.