Durability of Capped Wood Plastic Composites

Abstract

Manufacturers of wood plastic composites (WPCs) have recently introduced capped decking to their product lines. These new materials have begun to take market share from the previous generation of uncapped products that possessed a homogenous composition throughout the thickness of their cross-section. These capped offerings have been introduced with claims that the pure polymer cap provides protection to the wood/polymer interior, helps keep the composite core dry preventing water ingress and protects it from weathering and issues associated with biological degradation. This paper briefly reviews moisture absorption in WPCs and then focus on recent results from laboratory and field evaluations of capped WPC material. Preliminary results of these tests will be discussed in the context of durability of these products and provide some early insight as to the potential susceptibility of this new class of materials to biological degradation.

Citation

Mankowski, Mark E.; Manning, Mark J.; Slowik, Damien P. 2015. Durability of capped wood plastic composites. In: Proceedings One Hundred Eleventh Annual Meeting of the American Wood Protection Association; Asheville, NC. 12-14 April 2015. American Wood Protection Association. Birmingham, AL. pp. 124-132.