Obtaining Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) foams with the addition of MDF
foam, Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) , MDF , mechanical properties
Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer foams were made with the addition of 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50% by weight of MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) ground into fine particles. The properties of these foams were compared with reference samples (without MDF). The following properties of these samples were examined: density, compressive stress (50% compression), impact behavior, wear resistance to abrasion and hydrophobicity. The morphology was studied by optical microscopy. The samples were further characterized by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The increase in MDF weight percentage led to a foam structure with higher porosity and higher density. Samples with the addition of MDF compared to the reference sample did not show significant variations in mechanical and thermal properties... Despite the addition of MDF, the samples did not show compression deformation greater than 10%–15% in relation to the sample of reference. The results obtained show that EVA foams with the addition of MDF have acceptable properties for EVA foams. As an inconvenience is the color of the foams, which can restrict their use.