A modular extrusion die design to produce continuous glass fibers reinforced PVC‐wood composite profiles

This paper presents design and manufacture of a modular die to produce profiles of wood plastic composites (WPCs) reinforced with continuous glass fibers. As the strength and fracture toughness of WPCs are not convincing for load bearing applications, strengthening WPC profiles with continuous fibers could provide sufficient strength to meet the requirements. In this study, a modular profile die with various cross sections, i.e., I‐, U‐, and rectangular‐shaped was designed and manufactured. The approach to balance the flow for the various sections was to implement a flow restricting mechanism along the melt flow path. Impregnated glass rovings (IMGRs) were introduced continuously into the flow to reinforce the profiles through specially designed guides. Experimentations indicated the sound performance of the designed and implemented modular die. Three point bending tests were carried out to evaluate the flexural properties. Improvements in flexural strength and modulus were noticeable. The highest improvement in bending strength with four glass fibers was observed to be 23%, 38%, and 58% for I‐, U‐, and rectangular‐shaped profiles, respectively. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:2268–2276, 2018. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers