An analytic algorithm-based method to assess the long term structural performance of wood-polymer composites

Wood-polymer composites (WPC) increasingly gain in popularity in the building industry. However, such bio-based materials suffer from weathering which limits their lifetime. To learn more about the difference between natural and artificial ageing, compounds from 12 research papers were analyzed with regard to their strength development depending on exposure duration and fiber loading. In total 117 comparisons were drawn between data from both types of durability testing from which the acceleration and deceleration factors were derived. It was found that for usual WPC formulations weatherometer trials according to EN ISO 4892 represent 7.35 times longer periods under natural conditions. Further, the quality of data was an enabler for the development of algorithms which comprehensively detected that lifespan for 30%-fiber loaded compounds is 1.7-times longer compared to those with 45% fiber share. Hence, the findings point out that compound development for WPC needs strong orientation on the intended application.