Reuse of mineral wool waste and recycled glass in ceramic foams

Novel ceramic foams have been prepared by high temperature sintering of waste mineral wool and waste glass using SiC as a foaming agent. The aim of the research was to understand the effects of composition and sintering conditions on the properties and microstructure and produce commercially exploitable ceramic foams. Optimum ceramic foams were formed from 40 wt% mineral wool waste and 2 wt% SiC, sintered at 1170 °C using a heating rate of 20 °C/min with a 20 min hold at peak temperature. The ceramic foams produced had a bulk density of 0.71 g/cm³ and a uniform pore size distribution. The research shows that ceramic foams can be formed from waste mineral wool and these can be used for thermal insulation with associated economic and environmental benefits.     

Using the Mass Method to Produce PVC/Clay Nanocomposite Foams: The Effect of Nano-clay and Foaming Conditions on Density and Cell size

Nanocomposite foams contain very fine cells because of the fillers in nano scale. Due to the limited size of the cells, the mechanical and physical properties of nanocomposite foams are improved compared to polymer foams. In this study PVC/clay nanocomposite foams containing various concentrations of nano-clay (1, 3 and 5 phr) were successfully prepared. The samples were placed under CO₂ gas pressure at 5 MPa, by immersing in glycerin bath at 60, 70, 80 °C and 20, 30, 40 s, respectively, to form foams. The density and the cell size as a factor of nano-clay content, foaming time and temperature were investigated using Archimedes method and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The minimum density was obtained in the sample containing 1 phr nanoclay prepared at 80 °C and 40 s. The minimum cell size was related to the sample containing 5 phr nanoclay at 60 °C and 20 s.     

Experimental determination of ultrasonic wave velocities in plastics as functions of temperature. III. Rigid epoxy foam

The velocity and attenuation of longitudinal bulk waves in a solid epoxy foam were measured by an acoustic pulse technique in the frequency range of 0.667–4.0 Mc./sec. and in the temperature range from ambient to 150°C. The measurements are reported with the density of the solid epoxy and with aluminum impurity loading as parameters. Over the indicated temperature and frequency ranges, complete attenuation and velocity measurements are reported for one foam corresponding to a density of 0.325 g./cc. In the density range of 0.088–0.325 g./cc. for the unloaded foams, attenuation is reported at room temperature. It is observed that the longitudinal velocities for all the densities decrease with temperature by about 40% in a span of 100°C. and that an approximately linear relation exists with temperature. The velocities in the foams loaded with small percentages of aluminum and heat-treated at 250°C. exhibit temperature behavior which is dependent upon the combined effects of loading, density change, and epoxy properties. For the loaded foam with the highest density (1.068 g./cc.), velocity is reported to a temperature of about 250°C. The velocities of all the various density samples with the exception of the loaded foams exhibit inflections at a temperature of about 110°C. The attenuation–temperature measurements on the 0.325 g./cc. sample show similar behavior at this temperature except that the effect is much more pronounced than the velocity inflection, hence a better indication of the transition. The precision of the measurement is about 2% for the relative longitudinal velocities and about 20% for the attenuation.     

Polycarbonate foams with tailor-made cellular structures by controlling the dissolution temperature in a two-step supercritical carbon dioxide foaming process

Closed-cell polycarbonate foams were prepared using a two-step foaming process, which consisted of the initial dissolution of supercritical CO₂ (scCO₂) into PC foaming precursors and their later expansion by heating using a double contact restriction method. The effects of the parameters of both CO₂ dissolution and heating stages on the cellular structure characteristics as well as on the physical aging of PC in the obtained foams were investigated. A higher amount of CO₂ was dissolved in PC with increasing the dissolution temperature from 80 to 100 °C, with similar CO₂ desorption trends and diffusion coefficients being found for both conditions. PC foams displayed an isotropic-like microcellular structure at a dissolution temperature of 80 °C. It was shown that it is possible to reduce their density while keeping their microcellular structure with increasing the heating time. On contrary, when dissolving CO₂ at 100 °C and later expanding, PC foams presented a cellular morphology with bigger cells and with an increasingly higher cell elongation in the vertical growth direction with increasing the heating time. Comparatively, PC foams obtained by dissolving CO₂ at 100 °C presented a more marked physical aging after CO₂ dissolution and foaming, although this effect could be reduced and ultimately suppressed with increasing the heating time.     

Tailoring viscoelastic and mechanical properties of the foamed blends of EVA and various ethylene‐styrene interpolymers

Foamed materials (EVA/ESI) have been prepared from blends of ethylene‐vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) and ethylene‐styrene interpolymers (ESI) in the presence of various amounts of dicumyl peroxide (DCP). Four ESIs of different compositions were employed in this study; their styrene contents ranged from 30 to 73 wt% and their T_g ranged from −2 to 33°C. It has been found that microcellular morphology, degree of crosslinking and expansion ratio were strongly affected by the DCP concentration and the type of ESI employed. A minimum degree of crosslinking was required for making good foams and the same degree of crosslinking could be achieved by employing a smaller amount of DCP for an EVA/ESI blend having a higher styrene content. In contrast to other EVA blends, such as EVA/LDPE, these EVA/ESI blends exhibited no existence of any optimum DCP concentration, and the α glass transition temperatures of the foams varied with the ESI type, covering a wide span from 0°C to 37°C. Therefore, it was possible to tailor the T_g of an EVA/ESI blend by choosing an appropriate type of ESI. Furthermore, by correctly tailoring the T_g, the EVA/ESI foam could be made into a rubbery material with a custom‐designed damping factor. Tensile strength and modulus of the EVA/ESI foams increased generally with an increase in the styrene content, with the exception that ESIs with very low styrene content will confer on the blend a high modulus at small strain and a large elongation at break.     

Physical properties of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA)/natural rubber (NR) blend based foam

In this study an attempt was made to improve the rebound resilience and to decrease the density of ethylene‐vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) foam. For this purpose, EVA was blended with natural rubber (NR), and EVA/NR blends were foamed at 155°C, 160°C, and 165°C. To investigate the correlation between crosslinking behavior and physical properties of foams, crosslinking behavior of EVA/NR blends was monitored. The physical properties of the foams were then measured as a function of foaming temperatures and blend compositions: 165°C was found to be the optimal temperature for a crosslinking of EVA/NR foam. As a result, the density of EVA/NR blend foamed at 165°C was found to be the lowest. EVA/NR (90/10) blend, foamed at 165°C, showed lower density, better rebound resilience, and greater tear strength than EVA foam. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 94: 2212–2216, 2004     

Preparation of semirigid polyurethane foam with liquefied bamboo residues

Bamboo residues were liquefied by using a solvent mixture consisting of polyethylene glycol 400 and crude glycerol (4/1, w/w) with 98% sulfuric acid as catalyst at 160°C for 120 min. The liquefied bamboo had hydroxyl values from 178 to 200 mg KOH/g and viscosities from 507 to 2201 mPa S. The obtained bamboo‐based polyols were reacted with various amounts of polyaryl polymethylene isocyanate (PAPI), using distilled water as blowing agent, silicone as surfactant, and triethylenediamine and dibutyltine dilaurate as cocatalyst to produce semirigid polyurethane (PU) foams. The [NCO]/[OH] ratio was found to be an important factor to control the mechanical properties of PU foams. At a fixed [NCO]/[OH] ratio, both density and compressive strength of PU foams decreased with the increase of bamboo content. The microstructure of PU foams indicates that [NCO]/[OH] ratios are important for cell formation and chemical reactions. The uniformity and cell structure of the foams are comparable to their corresponding compressive strengths. Moreover, the thermogravimetry analysis showed that all the semirigid PU foams had approximately the same degradation temperature of about 250 to 440°C. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Dynamic mechanical properties of titanium dioxide-filled poly(vinyl acetate) at 0–40°C.

The dynamic mechanical properties of titanium dioxide-filled poly(vinyl acetate) have been studied at filler concentrations of 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt.-% TiO₂ by using a torsional pendulum. The damping factor was found to increase with higher temperatures. At 40°C., the damping factors for the different TiO₂ concentrations were estimated to be the same. Damping factors above 40°C. were difficult to obtain due to the rubbery nature of the TiO₂–poly(vinyl acetate) systems. From 24 to 35°C., 10 wt.-% TiO₂-poly(vinyl acetate) was closer in damping factor increase to unfilled poly(vinyl acetate) than to the higher TiO₂-content polymers. At all temperatures, damping factors decreased with higher TiO₂ concentration. As the temperature decreased to 0°C., damping factors for the filled systems approached a common value. Potential energy of filled systems as indicated by shear modulus values is increased by higher TiO₂ concentrations and lower temperature. Kinetic energy for the filled systems, as shown by the out-of-phase modulus, is actually increased by larger filler concentration and higher temperature. A model is proposed where introduction of TiO₂ filler acts to increase general long-range polymer chain stiffening and at the same time enables short-range chain mobility to rise, possibly through greater side-chain motion.     

The thermal decomposition of some polyurethane foams

Polyurethanes exposed to fire conditions might generate decomposition products which would be responsible for a significant part of the toxicity of the fire gases. Polyurethanes have been prepared from a commercial mixture of tolylene-2, 4- and 2,6-di-isocyanates, pure tolylene-2,4-di-isocyanate, pure tolylene-2,6-di-isocyanate and pure m-phenylene di-isocyanate. All polymers except that prepared from tolylene-2,6-di-isocyanate were obtained as flexible foams. When each polyurethane was heated at 300°C in a stream of nitrogen, a sublimate was obtained. The sublimates were all apparently polymers derived from the di-isocyanate rather than from the diol constituents of the polyurethanes. Pyrolysis of these materials at high temperatures (800–1000°C) led to similar mixtures of volatile products: at 1000°C the most abundant nitrogenous product, in each case, was hydrogen cyanide.     

Study on the damping of EVM based blends

The mechanical and damping properties of blends of ethylene‐vinyl acetate rubber(VA content >40 wt %) (EVM)/nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) and EVM/ethylene‐propylene‐diene copolymer (EPDM), both with 1.4 phr BIPB (bis (tert‐butyl peroxy isopropyl) benzene) as curing agent, were investigated by DMA. The effect of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC), and dicumyl peroxide (DCP) on the damping and mechanical properties of both rubber blends were studied. The results showed that in EVM/EPDM/PVC blends, EPDM was immiscible with EVM and could not expand the damping range of EVM at low temperature. PVC was miscible with EVM and dramatically improved the damping property of EVM at high temperature while keeping good mechanical performance. In EVM/NBR/PVC blends, PVC was partially miscible with EVM/NBR blends and remarkably widened the effective damping temperature range from 41.1°C for EVM/NBR to 62.4°C, while CPVC mixed EVM/NBR blends had an expanded effective damping temperature range of 63.5°C with only one damping peak. Curing agents BIPB and DCP had a similar influence on EVM/EPDM blends. DCP, however, dramatically raised the height of tan δ peak of EVM/NBR = 80/20 and expanded its effective damping temperature range to 64.9°C. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Polystyrene–gelatin composites prepared via a gel pathway

Composite polymers of polystyrene and gelatin have been prepared using a gel pathway. The gels have been obtained by mixing at 50°C an aqueous solution containing gelatin and a surfactant (SDS) with styrene containing an initiator (AIBN). The obtained emulsions have the appearance of gels and are very stable both at room temperature and at 50°C. At 50°C, these gels are liquidlike with high viscosity; at room temperature, solidlike gels are formed when the gelatin content is sufficiently high. Polymerization of the gels can be achieved in several days at room temperature and in 24 h at 50°C. Composite polymers with different water-absorbing capacities have been produced by controlling the polymerization temperature and duration. These composite polymers are insoluble in water, ethanol, octane, and cyclohexane, but exhibit some swelling in these liquids. Additional thermal treatment at relatively high temperatures increases the mechanical strength of the composites. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Damping of polymer composite materials for flywheel applications

Damping of pure resin and T700/epoxy composite lamina in longitudinal and transverse directions were investigated experimentally and analytically. The effect of aging on damping was also studied by placing samples at 60°C in an oven for extended periods of time and using results from time‐dependant studies. Damping master curves vs. frequency were constructed from individual curves at various temperatures using the match principle. Master curves constructed using Arrhenius equation matched those constructed using the match principle for the matrix but not for the composite. The damping response of the composite lamina was used to predict the response of laminate composites. It was found that for a specific frequency range, damping decreases with the increase in aging time, and that damping is dependent on the direction of fibers, highlighting the importance of multi‐direction reinforcement for composite flywheel rotors. Laminate damping was also experimentally evaluated for a number of configurations (0°, ± 45° and 90°). The half power method was used to identify the damping characteristics for coupon samples. These experimental measurements matched results from lamina investigation and indicated that the 0° specimen has the lowest damping ratio in the fiber direction, while the highest damping ratio corresponds to the 45° fiber orientation. It was also observed that the damping factor was only weakly dependent upon frequency for a broad range of frequencies, which is an important result with regard to simulation and stability analyses. POLYM. COMPOS., 26:498–508, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Thermal behavior of polyethyloxazoline

Polyethyloxazoline (PEOx) is a new water-soluble, thermoplastic polymer. It has a glass temperature of 56°C which increases to about 72°C on storage at room temperature. This increase is a manifestation of physical aging, and it occurs relatively fast with PEOx in comparison to other polymers. Also, the extent of this aging, as measured by the amount of enthalpy relaxation, is high for PEOx. It was shown that PEOx can be brought to 320°C without reduction of glass temperature, indicating an exceptional thermal stability.     

Synthesis of reactor blend of linear and branched polyethylene using metallocene/Ni‐diimine binary catalyst system in a single reactor

This work reports the synthesis of a series of reactor blends of linear and branched polyethylene materials using a combination of [1,4‐bis(2,6‐diisopropylphenyl) acenaphthene diimine nickel(II) dibromide] ( 1 )/MMAO, known as an active catalyst for the production of branched polyethylene, and [rac‐ethylenebis(indenyl) zirconium dichloride] ( 2 )/MMAO, which is active for the production of linear polyethylene. The polymerization runs were performed at various levels of temperature, pressure, and catalyst 2 molar fractions. At 5°C, there was very low influence of catalyst 2 molar fraction on the overall catalyst activity. However, at 30°C and 50°C, the overall catalyst activity increased linearly with catalyst 2 molar fraction. The same linear dependency was also found for the polymerization reactions carried out at 60°C and 100°C. At various levels of temperature and ethylene pressure, higher melting temperature and crystallinity were observed with an increase in catalyst 2 molar fraction. At 60°C and 100 psig, the DSC thermograms of the polymers produced with 1 / 2 /MMAO exhibited two distinct peaks with melting temperatures closely corresponding to the melting temperatures of the polymers produced with the individual catalysts, 1 /MMAO and 2 /MMAO. The GPCV analysis of all polyethylene samples showed monomodal molecular weight distributions with low polydispersities. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 2212–2217, 2005     

371°C (700°F) properties of celion 6000/N-phenylnadimide modified pmr polyimide composites

The 371°C (700°F) properties of Celion 6000/N-phenylnadimide modified PMR-15 polyimide composites were investigated to determine the feasibility of using these materials at a 371°C (700°F) service temperature. The processing characteristics and physical and mechanical properties of the composite systems are presented. The results of the 371°C thermooxidative stability study suggest that the composite materials can be considered for short-term (at least 100 hours) application at 371°C.     

Rheological characteristics of proanthocyanidin polymers from Pinus radiata. II. Viscoelastic properties of sequential alkaline extracts based on phenolic acid fraction

Steady and dynamic oscillatory rheometry were used to characterize two members of the plant polyphenols from Pinus radiata bark, water-soluble proanthocyanidin polymers, and phenolic acids. The viscosity-controlling factor of the extracts could be revealed by examining the various extracts under different chemical and rheological environments. Water extracted (100°C) bark was successively extracted with aqueous NaOH solutions of increasing alkalinity at 100°C and the rheological characteristics of the each fraction were examined in detail. The significant viscoelasticity of the 100°C aqueous NaOH sequential extracts suggests that this fraction can have a critical impact on the flow characteristics of overall extracts and arises from a major contribution of colloidal interactions involving the carbohydrate component. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Enzymatic degradation of poly(D,L‐lactide) and its blends with poly(vinyl acetate)

The enzymatic degradation of poly(D ,L ‐lactide) (PLA) was investigated using two different lipases, Novozym 435 and Lipolase. The optimum temperature was 50°C for the enzymatic degradation of PLA. The effect of various solvents on the degradation of PLA was investigated at 50°C using Novozym 435, and toluene was found to be the best solvent among the solvents investigated. The enzymatic degradation of the blends of PLA and PVAc was investigated at 50°C in toluene. The enzymatic degradation of the blends of PLA and PVAc showed that there is an interaction between the polymers during degradation, which results in the reduction of degradation rate of both polymers in the blend. A continuous distribution model was used to determine the rate coefficients for polymer degradation. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 657–680 2006     

The effect of recycled polymer addition on the thermorheological behavior of modified lubricating greases

This article deals with the influence of temperature on the rheological behavior of lithium lubricating greases modified with three different types of recycled polymers, high‐density polyethylene (HDPE), low‐density polyethylene, and polypropylene (PP), all deriving from waste plastic recycling plants. Grease formulations containing diverse polymers were manufactured and rheologically characterized. Small‐amplitude oscillatory shear and viscous flow measurements over a temperature range of 25–175°C were carried out. The experimental results obtained suggest that a blend of HDPE and PP could be considered a suitable potential viscosity modifier for lithium lubricating greases in a wide range of in‐service temperature. Thus, the lubricating greases studied modified by HDPE or PP show quite promising results at low or high temperature, respectively. In addition, thermomechanical reversibility has been studied by applying different combined stress–temperature protocols. Lubricating greases containing any of the recycled polymers studied show a significant irreversible structural breakdown when the sample is submitted to temperatures and stresses higher than 75°C and 200 Pa, respectively. Regarding lubricating grease viscous flow behavior, a minimum in the shear stress versus shear rate plots appeared at temperatures above 50°C, more pronounced as temperature increased, resulting from material flow instabilities. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2013. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers.     

Preparation and characterization of natural rubber foams: Effects of foaming temperature and carbon black content

The influence of the foaming temperature and carbon black content on the cure behavior and mechanical properties of natural rubber foams was investigated at five temperature zones by 5 °C interval and different feeding ratios of the carbon black. The physical properties of the foamed NRs were then measured as a function of the foaming temperature and carbon black content, respectively. The optimal temperature for vulcanization and foaming of NRs in this study was considered to be 165 °C where density of the foamed NR is lower than that at other four temperature zones. The thickness of each of the struts formed within the rubber matrix decreased with the increasing foaming temperature, while it increased with the increasing carbon black content, supporting the density characteristics. The tensile properties of the foamed NRs such as tensile strength, tear strength and modulus gradually increased with the increasing and carbon black content, while elongation at break decreased.     

Mastering the structure of PLA foams made with extrusion assisted by supercritical CO2

In this study, the outcome of operating conditions of extrusion assisted by supercritical CO₂ for the manufacture of poly(lactic acid) foams was investigated. It was found that the temperature before and inside the die was the most prominent parameter to tune the foam properties. Foam porosity as high as 96% could be obtained (for die temperature between 109 and 112 °C), representing a total expansion exceeding 30. In this temperature range, low crystallinity (≈6%) was induced giving foams with high radial expansion i.e., large diameters and open porosity. At 112 °C, the CO₂ was able to greatly expand the foams, providing 73% of its potential blowing effect. On the other hand, a low die temperature (below a die temperature of 107 °C) induces a significantly higher level of crystallinity resulting in foams with closed‐porosity and a large longitudinal expansion due to higher strength of the polymer melt. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45067.