Foams based on low density polyethylene/hectorite nanocomposites: Thermal stability and thermo‐mechanical properties

Novel polymer nanocomposite foams made by a two step compression molding method are analyzed in this article. Nanocomposites of low density polyethylene and an organo‐modified hectorite were first melt compounded and then foamed using a compression molding method. To study the influence of the presence and the amount of hectorite in both mechanical and thermal properties, samples with 3% and 7% content of hectorite were prepared. Polyethylene crystalline characteristics and thermal stability of the samples were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. Mechanical properties of foams and solid nanocomposites were analyzed by using dynamical mechanical analysis (DMA). Thermal expansion of the samples was analyzed by thermomechanical analysis. The results indicate that the exfoliation of hectorite platelets was achieved after the foaming process, but not during the melt mixing step. Foams with hectorite nanoparticles exhibit improved thermal stability and mechanical properties when compared with neat polymeric foams. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Fusion of three sensory modalities for the multimodal characterization of red wines

This work represents the first attempt to develop a sensory system, specifically designed for the characterization of wines, which combines three sensory modalities: an array of gas sensors, an array of electrochemical liquid sensors, and an optical system to measure color by means of CIElab coordinates. This new analytical tool, that has been called "electronic panel," includes not only sensors, but also hardware (injection system and electronics) and the software necessary for fusing information from the three modules. Each of the three sensory modalities (volatiles, liquids, and color) has been designed, tested, and optimized separately. The discrimination capabilities of the system have been evaluated on a database consisting of six red Spanish wines prepared using the same variety of grape (tempranillo) but differing in their geographic origins and aging stages. Sensor signals from each module have been combined and analyzed using pattern recognition techniques. The results of this work show that the discrimination capabilities of the system are significantly improved when signals from each module are combined to form a multimodal feature vector.     

Production and Characterization of crosslinked low‐density polyethylene foams using waste of foams with the same composition

A process to recover residues of crosslinked polyolefin foams is described in this paper. Low‐density foam scraps coming from discarded products or cuts from secondary manufacturing processes are heated and pressed to obtain a new material. The main target to reach with the used recovering process was to keep the density of the recycled specimens as low as possible, and similar to that of the starting products. The structure and properties of both recovered and virgin commercial materials with similar densities have been analyzed. It has been found that due to the recovering process cell size slightly decreased and at the same time the cells become orientated. Mechanical properties of recovered foams were lower than those of commercial products, even though thermal conductivity remained in the range of the values presented by virgin products, and recovered products were better sound absorbers than virgin foams. It is concluded that due to its low density and good balance of properties the recovered materials can substitute virgin materials in applications in which the key properties are excellent thermal insulation, good acoustic absorption, and medium compressive strength. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Early anisotropic expansion of aluminium foam precursors

This work reports a detailed study on the early expansion (before the melting point) of powder metallurgical (PM) aluminium foam precursors and its influence on the intrinsic anisotropy existing in the final cellular structure of PM foams. Hot uniaxial compressed tablets, rectangular and cylindrical extruded profiles and thixocast PM precursors have been considered to evaluate the effect of the processing technique on the early expansion behaviour. An optical device has been used to register, in situ, the dissimilar expansion of the precursors in the three spatial directions. Cellular morphology has been examined by X-ray microtomography and correlated to expansion behaviour. Results demonstrated a high influence of the processing technique and its correlation with powder debonding in preferential directions which, in combination with the early TiH₂ decomposition, generates elongated cracks and causes an anisotropic expansion at early foaming stages. As a consequence, a remaining structural anisotropy is found in the final solid cellular material, even at high porosities. A discussion of the possible factors affecting this early expansion behaviour, complemented with possible solutions to minimize it, is provided in the paper.     

Analysis of the influence of the type of closure in the organoleptic characteristics of a red wine by using an electronic panel

An electronic panel formed by an electronic nose, an electronic tongue and an electronic eye has been successfully used to evaluate the organoleptic characteristics of red wines vinified using different extraction techniques and micro-oxygenation methods and bottled using closures of different oxygen transmission rates (OTR).     

Modifying the structure and properties of polyethylene foams using thermal treatments

BACKGROUND: The physical properties of polymer foams depend on many factors: density, cellular structure, matrix polymer morphology, etc. Therefore, these properties can be adapted by appropriate control of the structure. However, this simple and attractive concept has some limitations because the cellular structure of foams cannot be fully controlled during manufacturing. Therefore, in order to make possible the control of properties, it is highly desirable to develop simple procedures, such as thermal treatments, to modify the cellular structure. In the work reported, low‐density polyethylene foams were thermally treated at temperatures below the melting temperature of the base polymer. The cellular structure, polymer base morphology and several thermal and mechanical properties were studied before and after the thermal treatments. RESULTS: It is shown that the anisotropy of the cellular structure is reduced by using adequate treatments. This modification of the structure influences physical properties that are sensitive to the cell shape, such as thermal expansion, elastic modulus and collapse stress. CONCLUSION: A simple procedure to allow further control of the structure and properties of polyethylene‐based foams has been presented. The use of adequate thermal treatments is able to modify the cellular structure and hence the physical properties of these materials. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Experimental and theoretical analysis of friction stir welding of Al–Cu joints

This paper presents a study of friction stir welding of aluminium and copper using experimental work and theoretical modelling. The 5083-H116 aluminium alloy and pure copper were successfully friction-stir-welded by offsetting the pin to the aluminium side and controlling the FSW parameters. A theoretical analysis is presented along with key findings. The process temperatures are predicted analytically using the inverse heat transfer method and correlated with experimental measurements. The temperature distribution in the immediate surroundings of the weld zone is investigated together with the microstructures and mechanical properties of the joint. This was supported by a finite element analysis using COMSOL Multiphysics. In this study, two rotational speeds were used and a range of offsets was applied to the pin. The microstructure analysis of the joints was undertaken. This revealed some particles of Cu inclusion in the nugget zone. The energy dispersive spectroscopy showed a higher diffusion rate of aluminium towards the interface while copper maintained a straight base line.     

Characterization of the isothermal crystallization of poly(ethylene terephthalate) by microhardness measurements

The two-stage isomerization isotherms of poly(ethylene Terephthalate) have been followed through microhardness analysis. A great variation in microhardness values seems to prove the increase of the strength and stiffness of the samples produced by the secondary isomerization. A smaller variation is observed for the primary isomerization.