Long-term drying

behavior, dimension, and

weight changes due to moisture
cycling in wood-polypropylene composites
Qingzheng ChengS
Jingxin WangS

Abstract
An extruded wood-polypropylene composite was dried at 103C for approximately 13 months to investigate long-term
drying weight changes. The material was also soaked in both fresh water and seawater until saturation and then redried at
room temperature to study water immersion and redrying behaviors due to moisture cycling. The moisture content (MC)
was approximately 1.5 percent and 1.1 percent for the face and core positions, respectively, when measured 11 months after
the material was manufactured. Saturation MCs were approximately 20 percent and 19 percent when exposed to distilled water
and seawater, respectively. The expansion of the material was orthotropic in character and non-recoverable. The volume
change was not reversible with about a 2 percent increase after redrying. Meanwhile, the weight was also non-reversible when
redried at room temperature at constant relative humidity. The changes in dimensions and weights of the specimens soaked in
seawater were slightly smaller than those soaked in distilled water. The results of this study will be helpful in understanding the
drying and immersion properties of wood-plastic composites.

ood-plastic composites (WPCs) are intended for service outdoors where they can be exposed to different temperatures and relative humidity (RH). All composites may desorb
water when exposed to lower humidity and/or higher temperature atmospheres and absorb moisture when exposed to humid atmospheres or when immersed in water. Polymers
mixed with hydrophilic llers, such as wood our, will absorb
more water compared to the unlled polymer (Marcovich
et al. 1999). The inuence of moisture changes on the mechanical behavior of lled polymer systems can be signicant
(Lin et al. 2002, Yang et al. 2006, Cheng et al. 2009).
The moisture content (MC) of WPCs can be determined by
drying in an oven at 105C (Wang and Morrell 2004). During
drying the wood weight loss is primarily due to loss of moisture, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and other extraneous materials such as wood extractives. But, unknown weight
variations due to differences in volatile losses and thermal
degradation can also occur at 103C (Keey et al. 2000). Furthermore, weight loss could occur at this temperature for pure
polymers. For example, oxidized polypropylene (PP) lms
were found to exhibit a 2.2 percent weight loss after 24 hours
at 100C (Uzomah and Ugbolue 1997). Moisture can penetrate
into composite materials by diffusion, capillary transport, and
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VOL. 59, NO. 9

other mechanisms. Many factors affect the absorption, dimension, and weight changes of WPCs. Generally, polymers with
more polar groups can absorb more moisture. The degree of
moisture absorption has been reported to increase with increases in immersion temperature and wood our content
(Lin et al. 2002). Wood species can also inuence absorption
(Kim et al. 2008). Temperature and composite density play
a signicant role in the process of thickness swell of WPCs
(Shi and Gardner 2006a, 2006b). The data, however, on longterm drying weight loss at 103C and water immersion and
redrying behaviors due to moisture cycling are limited and
should be further explored. Therefore, the objectives of this

The authors are, respectively, Post Doctoral Fellow, Division of

Forestry and Natural Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia (q.cheng@mail.wvu.edu); and Associate
Professor/Director of Biomaterials and the Wood Utilization Research Center, Division of Forestry and Natural Resources, West
Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia (jxwang@wvu.
edu). This paper was received for publication in April 2009. Article
No. 10606.
S Forest Products Society Member.
Forest Products Society 2009.
Forest Prod. J. 59(9):5154.
51

study were to evaluate a more commercially representative

formulation for an extruded wood-polypropylene composite
(WPPC) and to determine long-term drying weight loss and
water immersion and redrying behaviors due to moisture cycling in WPPCs.

experiments were conducted at room temperature (21C).

All dimension or weight changes were expressed as percent
ratios of the changed portions to original dimension or
weight (Eq. [1]).
XC

Materials and methods

Experimental materials
The WPPC was extruded using the Davis-Standard Woodtruder (WT94). A solid core die was used and the nominal
cross-sectional dimension of the WPPC was 133 by 32 mm.
The material formulation was comprised of 60 percent wood
our (40-mesh southern yellow pine with a MC of 4% to 6%,
American Wood Fibers), 33 percent polypropylene (PP) (melt
ow: 5 g/10 min., Isotactic, Accpro 9346, BP Amoco), 3 percent maleated anhydride polypropylene (melt ow: 7 g/
10 min., Massachusetts level: 0.2 wt%, Polybond 3002, Crompton Corp.), and 4 percent pigment (Clariant). The material was
stored for 11 months at ambient conditions in a heated building (temperature ranging from 20 to 23C, RH between 30%
and 35%). Distilled water and standard articial seawater
(ASTM D1141-98, 1998) were used for WPPC immersion.
Long-term weight loss at 103C
Four specimens were cross-cut from the extruded material,
two of which used the full prole. The second pair of specimens were cut with whole cross sections. A planer was used
to remove the resin rich/glazed surface coat. Three thin
specimens were cut from the top, core, and bottom of the material, respectively. The cut and dimensions of the seven specimens are summarized in Table 1. The specimens were dried
in an oven at 103C 6 2C for approximately 13 months.
Weight changes were monitored using a scale (60.1 mg).
Specimens were weighed daily in the rst week and then two
times per week. MC was dened as the amount of water
contained in the material, expressed as a percent of mass
of the oven dry material (ASTM D1037-99, 1999).
Dimension and weight
changes due to moisture cycling
The dimension changes, saturation time, weight changes,
and shrinkage behavior of six specimens (thickness by width
by length (T by W by L) approximately 3 by 3 by 30 mm) were
investigated after being soaked and redried in distilled water
and seawater. Four specimens were cut from the surfaces and
two from its core in order to shorten time requirements and
examine the variations in performance through the cross section (Fig. 1). The specimens were soaked for 40 days and
then redried for 20 days for the distilled water treatment, or
submerged in seawater for 60 days followed by 26 days of
redrying. All of the specimens were cut from the raw materials and were not dried before immersion in water. All of the

Xt
3 100
Xd

1

where:
XC relative dimension (T, W, L, or volume [V]) or
weight change (%),
Xt dimension (T, W, L, or V) or weight at a time t, and
Xd dimension (T, W, L, or V) or weight at dry state.

Results and discussion

Weight changes at 103C for extended time
The weight of all of the specimens exhibited rapid initial
loss and then presented a relatively lower and constant loss
rate (Fig. 2). After 250 days, the weight loss rate became
slightly lower. The weight changes did not stop after having
been dried for 13 months at 103C. For the thin specimens,
the rapid initial weight loss phase occurred in the rst 4 days
while for the thicker full cross-section specimens, approximately 20 days were required to reach the constant weight
loss region.
Presumably, the measured weight loss includes not only
moisture but also polymer and wood degradation because unknown weight variations can also occur due to differences in
volatile losses and any thermal degradation at 103C (Keey
et al. 2000). Weight loss in PP could also occur at this temperature (Uzomah and Ugbolue 1997). Due to this combination of moisture and material mass loss, the amount of water in
the sample was dened as the value at which the mass loss rate
became constant (Fig. 3), although continued weight loss
undoubtedly includes water because of the slow nature of

Figure 1. Six specimens cut from a sample for water

immersion.

Table 1. The cut and sizes of the seven specimens for

long-term drying.
Cut

Thickness by Width
by Length

1 to 2

Full prole

32 by 133 by 30 mm

3 to 4

Full prole with surfaces moved

25 by 122 by 30 mm

5 to 7

Top, core, and bottom/each

5 by 80.5 by 132 mm

Specimen #

52

Figure 2. Weight loss of the seven specimens during

exposure to 103C.
SEPTEMBER 2009

Figure 3. Weight loss regions during exposure to 103C

(first 50 days of one specimen).

diffusion (Cheng and Shaler 2009). Based on this denition,

the MCs of the seven specimens were calculated after drying
for 4 days for thin specimens, which was about 1.5 percent
for material surface and 1.1 percent for the core, and 20 days for
thick specimens, which was about 0.5 percent. There was no
signicant effect of surface planning on MC changes.
Assuming the storage conditions of 21C and 30 percent
RH, the wood equilibrium moisture content (EMC) would
be expected to be approximately 6.2 percent (USDA Forest
Serv. 1999). For the WPPC, the wood our weight (Ww)
was approximately 1.5 times the weight of PP and other
additives (Wp). If the material was in equilibrium condition,
the water in the material (Wm) should be 6.2% 3 Ww
( 9.3% 3 Wp) assuming all of the water was in the wood.
The estimated maximum MC of the WPPC at this condition
(assuming no moisture in the PP phase) would be 3.7 percent, which is lower than the maximum experimental weight
loss of the samples (Fig. 2). This also indicated that the
weight loss was not only moisture vapor but also included
polymer and wood degradation. The MC of the wood during
extrusion is less than 0.5 percent, and it was much higher
after 11 months, which demonstrated that it absorbed moisture during storage.
Dimension and weight changes in distilled water
Volume and weight changes were slower from dry to saturation than those from saturation to redry (Fig. 4). The
volume changes were similar for surface and core specimens,
whereas weight changes were different between surfaces and
core specimens mainly due to the higher wood our content
in the core (Clemons and Ibach 2004). The specimens did not
reach their original volume after redrying, with an approximate 2 percent residual volumetric increase. This is due to
yielding of the matrix from the wood-induced swelling,
which made the polymer matrix swelling non-reversible.
The weights were not equal to their original values after
redrying with an approximately 1 percent residual difference. The saturation MC was calculated to be 20 percent
of the composite for samples soaked in distilled water.
The thickness (surface 6.9%, core 6.2%) and width (surface
3.5%, core 3.8%) changes did not exhibit much difference between the surface and core specimens. A pronounced anisotropy in the swelling behavior was observed, with the ratio
of thickness to width to length changes being approximately
6.5/3.5/1. This was mainly because wood, an anisotropic
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VOL. 59, NO. 9

Figure 4. Volume and weight changes from dry to saturation

to redry of the six small specimens soaked in distilled water.

material, has much higher shrinkage and swelling ratios in

the tangential and radial directions than in the longitudinal
direction (USDA Forest Serv. 1999). Wood our particles
are not spherical. Due to their aspect ratio, they orient in
the ow direction during extrusion. The degree of alignment and hence anisotropy ratio depends on the die shape
(Gamstedt et al. 2003). The swelling in thickness was greater
than the swelling in width, which is presumably attributed to
the wood particles being partially oriented in width direction
during extrusion due to the rectangular cross section with
smaller dimension in the thickness direction. Additionally,
the possible higher pressure in the thickness direction may
leave more residual stress after extrusion, which may also
cause more swelling in the thickness direction than in the
width direction after immersion in water.
Dimension and weight changes in seawater
The dimensional and weight change trends were similar to
those obtained from immersion in distilled water. The swelling in thickness (4.96%), width (2.4%), and length (0.69%)
were less than those soaked in distilled water. The saturation
MC was calculated to be 19 percent of the composite for specimens soaked in seawater. The saturation time was about 30
days, which was longer than that of distilled water immersion
because of the ionic content of seawater, which can suppress
the moisture transport process (Rangaraj 1999). The residual
volumetric expansion after redrying was approximately 1.2
percent with a residual weight gain of 2 percent.
The increase in residual weight of the redried specimens
soaked in either distilled water or seawater may be attributed
to the wood EMC at room temperature and humidity. The initial specimens were not at EMC even after 11 months due to
the very low moisture movement in this material (Cheng and
Shaler 2009). Because the EMC of the wood is about 7 percent
at a temperature of 21C and RH of 35 percent (USDA Forest
Serv. 1999) and the initial MC of the wood our was much
lower, the increase in residual weight could occur when
the saturated samples were dried at room temperature and
humidity.
Conceptual model of moisture
behavior for waterfront applications
The moisture behavior of the WPPC is complex when used
in waterfront applications. Three zones could exist as modeled in Figure 5, air, tidal, and below water zones. If the
saturation time of this WPPC was 4 years immersed in
53

swelling. The weight was also non-reversible when redried

at room temperature and RH. The dimensions and weight
changes of the specimens soaked in seawater were slightly
smaller than those soaked in distilled water.

Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Dr. Stephen Shaler and
Dr. Douglas Gardner at the University of Maine for their support and suggestions to this research work and the manuscript.
This manuscript is published with the approval of the Director
of West Virginia Agricultural and Forestry Experimental Station as Scientic Article No. 3047.
Literature cited

Figure 5. Three zones of moisture behavior of the WPPC

when used in waterfront applications.

seawater because the moisture movement of this WPPC was

very slow (Cheng and Shaler 2009), the saturated MC of
below water zone is 19 percent after equilibrium. The dry
air zone is not really dry, but has a very slow moisture
absorption rate until it reaches the equilibrium state, which
could take more than 4 years and the nal MCs would depend on the RH and temperature. For example, MCs could
range from 3.7 to 12.3 percent at 21C and 30 to 90 percent
RH. For the tidal zone, long-term moisture change can be
presented as a moisture gradient due to exposure to twice
daily tidal cycles of submersion. The MC of the portion near
the below water zone should be close to 19 percent, whereas
the portion near the air zone should be almost dry because
of the shorter water immersion time, the slow rate of moisture uptake, and the quicker desorption rate (Fig. 4). Further
study may be needed to verify this conceptual model.

Conclusions
The moisture movement behavior and dimension and
weight changes of an extruded WPPC were investigated using
extended time drying and water immersion in this study. The
drying behavior of WPPC at 103C is complex since the measured weight losses are associated with not only moisture
but also polymer and wood degradation. The weight of the
WPPCs exhibited rapid initial loss and then presented a relatively lower and constant loss rate as drying time increased.
The amount of water in the sample was dened as the value at
which the mass loss rate became constant. The MC of WPPCs
increased after production and samples require a very long
time to reach an equilibrium state. The MCs were about 1.5
percent and 1.1 percent for face and core positions 11 months
after the material was manufactured. The hygro-expansion and
hygro-contraction in the three dimensions were different for
samples soaked in water. The thickness changes were greater
than width changes and length changes. The volume changes
were not reversible with about 2 percent residual after redrying due to yielding of the matrix from the wood-induced

54

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