Vinyl foam: A viable substitute for wood

Rigid vinyl foam offers fabricators a maintenance-free alternative to wood. It is suitable for both internal and external uses, and unlike wood, vinyl foam products will not rot, warp, or peel, and will never need painting. In order to thoroughly evaluate potential applications for foam PVC, samples were provided to a commercial cabinet manufacturer to obtain his perspective of pertinent properties and potential applications. Results of this evaluation are presented along with processing and formulation recommendations for making good-quality PVC foam.     

Effect of extrusion conditions on rigid PVC foam

There is a growing demand for rigid vinyl foam as a wood replacement in window frames, blinds, trimming and other applications. While rigid vinyl foam has existed for many years, additional understanding of its processability and required conditions for good quality extruded profile would be helpful. This paper examines the effect of extrusion conditions, such as melt temperature, screw speed, and drawdown on process morphology of rigid vinyl foam and the properties of the extruded profile, including density, cell structure, and surface appearance.     

Rigid cellular PVC—the next house siding material?

The technology for extruding rigid cellular PVC has grown substantially over the past decade. Formulation additives, tooling, and processing expertise have made possible a variety of applications—relatively complex profiles, foam-core pipe, thermoformable foam sheet, and house siding. In the U.S. market, vinyl house siding is typically a relatively thin extrusion that is folded into a final shape that resembles wood cladding in appearance. An alternative to conventional form vinyl siding could be a foam structure that is thicker and stiffer than the solid form, and with a density similar to that of wood. This paper presents several performance advantages of rigid cellular PVC cladding in comparison to the current solid product, in addition to mentioning certain limitations that exist in the foam product that is produced with the technology available today.     

New opportunities with wood‐flour‐foamed PVC

Composites of wood with polyethylene, polypropylene, and poly(vinyl chloride) represent an emerging class of materials that combine the favorable performance and cost attributes of both wood and thermoplastics. One of the major disadvantages, however, of these materials is a relatively high specific gravity compared with those of many natural wood products. A PVC‐wood composite, for example, has a specific gravity of about 1.3 g/cc. This paper looks at producing cellular PVC‐based wood composites and the properties that are achieved as the foam density is reduced. Overall, even with densities as low as 0.6 g/cc, the physical properties should be adequate for many wood replacement applications. The composites also offer the aesthetics of wood and economics that are favorable compared to those of both rigid and cellular PVC.     

PVC/WF发泡材料的性能研究

采用NaOH溶液、丙烯酸丁酯、甲基丙烯酸甲酯和硅烷偶联剂KH-550分别对木粉(WF)进行表面处理,利用傅立叶变换红外光谱仪对其进行表征,并用处理过的WF增强聚氯乙烯(PVC)树脂,经一步模压法制备PVC/WF发泡材料.对其进行力学性能、物理性能测试,比较不同表面处理方法对该发泡材料各项性能的影响.结果表明,WF经表面处理后制备的PVC/WF发泡材料性能均有所提高,其中以NaOH处理后所得复合材料综合性能最优:拉伸强度提高112%,密度从205.4 kg/m3减小到102.3 kg/m3,吸水率、吸油率和线性收缩率均有大幅度改善.     

乙烯基含量对开孔硅橡胶泡沫材料性能的影响

研究了乙烯基硅橡胶中的乙烯基含量对开孔硅橡胶泡沫材料物理性能的影响。结果表明：随着乙烯基含量的增大,硅橡胶泡沫材料的密度逐渐降低;在相同应变下,各种硅橡胶泡沫的压缩应力在低应变时相近,高应变时随乙烯基含量的增大而下降;开孔硅橡胶泡沫材料的拉伸强度和扯断伸长率随乙烯基含量的增大而下降。     

Fluorhaltige Verbindungen in Anstrichmitteln

Fluorine-Containing Compounds in Paints In the coating of metals, fluorine-containing olefins, such as vinyl fluoride, vinylidene fluoride as well as other olefinic hydrocarbons with varying fluorine content are used since several years as homo- or co-polymers in combination with suitable pigments. Plates of aluminium or galvanized steel, that are coated by the spraying or the coil-coating procedure, have good weathering stability and dirt-repelling properties. These are used to cover the buildings, such as offices, factories and stores. Good chemical and thermal stability of these materials permit further applications. Fluorine-containing mixed polymers dissolved in ketones are used for painting wood. Such coatings have excellent weathering stability.     

The discoloration of vinyl instrument panels by polyurethane foam backing. II: Crosslinking of the vinyl resin

Current designs put automotive instrument panels and other interior trim parts under severe heat and light stress. Vinyl by itself can easily be formulated to pass the most rigorous oven aging and light stability tests. With a semirigid polyurethane foam backing, as is currently used in these applications, even the most stable vinyls fail to pass proposed new specifications. This study deals with the mechanism of what occurs in the polyurethane backed vinyl to cause this instability.     

Effect of Wood Flour Content on the Thermal,Mechanical and Dielectric Properties of Poly(vinyl chloride)

Several composite formulations of poly(vinyl chloride)/olive wood flour (PVC/WF) were manufactured by dry‐blending PVC, wood flour, plasticizer and other processing additives in a high‐intensity mixer. The dry‐blended compounds were calendered into film samples (T = 180°C, calendered time = 8 min). The films obtained are cut into normalized samples for thermal, mechanical, and dielectric characterization. The results obtained show that stress as well as strain at break decrease sharply as the wood flour content increases. On the other hand, this filler content has little influence on the glass transition temperature. It decreases the temperature of decomposition setting and retards the PVC thermal decomposition. It increases permittivity as well as dielectric losses. The thermal stability, as measured by thermogravimetry (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) methods, is good enough to permit processing of these types of PVC compounds using conventional processing techniques and temperatures under 210°C.     

PVC wood: A new look in construction

As a result of the increasing environmental concern for forest protection, there is a rapidly growing demand for alternatives to wood products. PVC wood, which includes PVC foam and PVC/wood flour composite, shows improved performance over wood in the following properties: termite resistance, weathering aging, less moisture absorption, and ease of installation. It can be nailed, screwed, sawed, cut, and glued like wood by conventional tools without any special skills required. Although the bending strength of PVC wood is lower, it can be used for decorative applications, i.e., cornice, door, and siding.     

含-NCO双组分水性木器漆的应用研究

介绍了以-NCO交联的双组分水性木器漆常用的树脂、固化剂类型，对其在木器涂装过程中的施工时限、泡沫控制等影响生产应用的因素进行了分析研究，并提出了一些解决方案。     

Viscoelastic characterization of PVC plastisol melts for foam applications

Melt rheology and its time-temperature dependence have long been known to be fundamental properties associated with satisfactory expansion characteristics in vinyl foam. Since much is known about the relationship between rheology and material variables like polymer morphology and system composition, adequate rheological characterization should be quite helpful in polymer design and plastisol compounding. Earlier attempts to study the melt rheology of plasticized PVC foam systems were only partially successful because instrument limitations required that the material be studied at too high shear rate or temperature, or that behavior of specific compositions be extrapolated from data obtained at considerably higher plasticizer level. This paper deals with measurement of the viscoelastic behavior of melts from actual azodicarbonamide foam compositions. The Rheometrics Mechanical Spectrometer was used in the orthogonal mode to study both elastic modulus and loss modulus (viscosity) in the range of shear rates and temperatures which actually occur during commercial utilization of PVC foam compounds. The effects of changing vinyl resin types and plasticizer types and levels were explored.     

Effects of multi‐walled carbon nanotube functionalization on the morphological and mechanical properties of nanocomposite foams based on poly(vinyl chloride)/(wood flour)/ (multi‐walled carbon nanotubes)

Experimental results are presented for nanocomposite foams based on unplasticized poly(vinyl chloride)/(wood flour)/(multi‐wall carbon nanotubes) (PVC/WF/MWCNTs). The nanocomposite samples were prepared in an internal mixer and foamed via a batch processing method using compression molding. Nanoparticles were functionalized by sodium hypochlorite solution, and the functionalization process was monitored by Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy. The effects of MWCNTs (both neat and functionalized) and blowing agent concentration on the morphological properties (cell size and cell density) and mechanical properties (tensile and flexural strength) of the foam samples were studied. The results revealed that foam cell sizes decreased and cell densities increased with addition of MWCNTs. The dispersion of nanoparticles in the PVC medium was increased by functionalization, and the morphological properties of the foams containing functionalized nanoparticles were improved. Density of nanocomposite foams decreased more with functionalized MWCNTs as compared to other samples. Chemical blowing agent concentration had no significant effect on sample density. Mechanical properties of the samples were improved by using functionalized MWCNTs in comparison with those of foams without this component. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 18:161–167, 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Synthesis and Characterization of Silicone-Based Surfactants as Anti-Foaming Agents

Silicone-based amphiphilic surfactants were synthesized as anti-foaming agents through a polycondensation reaction between chlorine-terminated polysiloxane and polyethers. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(propylene glycol) of different molecular weights were used. The structures of these tri-block co-polymers were characterized by FTIR, ¹H NMR and ESI–MS analysis. Surface tension, foam height and foam destruction properties of these co-polymers were determined. Spectroscopic analysis confirmed that bonding of polyether to polysiloxane was successful and two types of different tri-block co-polymers were obtained. The anti-foaming efficiency of these co-polymers tended to increase with an increase in the hydrophilic character of the co-polymer chains. The synthesized tri-block co-polymers, which can be used as anti-foaming agents in paper-coating applications of poly(vinyl acetate-co-butyl acrylate) latexes, showed low surface tension values, fast liquid drainage and efficient foam destruction. PEG 200-b-PDMS-b-PEG 200 was determined to be the most efficient anti-foaming agent among all co-polymers synthesized.     

The all-acrylic weatherable impact modifier for PVC

Rigid poly (vinyl chloride), PVC, is finding increasing use in outdoor applications as a replacement for conventional materials such as wood, aluminum, steel, and other materials. Formulating PVC for outdoor applications requires special attention to several essential properties in order to achieve the high-quality standards needed over a long period of time. One area that needs modification in a rigid PVC formulation for outdoor applications is toughness. Impact modifiers used to improve the toughness of PVC in outdoor use are CPE, EVA copolymers, and acrylates. The all-acrylic weatherable impact modifier is designed especially to modify PVC for outdoor use and ease of processability. We will review its key performance features with special emphasis on the processing advantages of the all-acrylic impact modifier. The study of the influence of processing conditions on the physical performance of weatherable PVC compounds in a Ba/Cd stabilized window profile shows an acrylic modifier to give consistently high toughness over a wide temperature range and shearing friction.     

Evaluation of adhesion properties of blends of cottonseed protein and anionic water-soluble polymers

There is increasing interest in agro-based, biodegradable and eco-friendly wood adhesives as partial replacements for petroleum-based adhesives. In this work, we studied the adhesion of cottonseed protein isolate (CPI) blended with several anionic water-soluble polymers. Anionic vinyl polymers studied included poly(acrylate), poly(acrylate-co-acrylamide), poly(vinyl sulfate), poly(vinyl sulfonate), and poly(vinyl phosphonate). Anionic polysaccharides studied included three types of carrageenan, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), low-methoxy pectin, alginate, and chondroitin sulfate. In general, the adhesive strength of CPI increased with the addition of anionic polymer up to a certain level and then decreased with further polymer addition. Different anionic polymers showed different enhancements. The best result for vinyl polymers was observed for the CPI/poly(vinyl sulfate) blend, which exhibited a 30% improved dry strength over CPI alone. The best results for the polysaccharides were obtained for the CPI/CMC and CPI/pectin blends, with improvements in dry adhesive strength over the CPI control of 66% and 50%, respectively. The CPI/CMC and CPI/pectin blends also showed improved hot water resistance. These findings suggest that the CPI/anionic polymer blends might be useful components in biobased wood adhesive formulations.     

Effect of thermal aging on physical properties of impact-modified vinyl

Maintenance of physical properties after thermal aging is becoming more and more important for vinyl as the polymer makes further inroads into engineered applications. Many OEMs and regulatory agencies are now requiring that polymers used in business machine, appliance, and consumer electronic applications maintain both tensile and impact properties for long periods of time at high temperatures. The choice of impact modifier and other formulation ingredients appears critical to developing a successful compound that will maintain both tensile and impact properties after thermal aging. In this paper, we discuss the effects of different impact modifier types and other formulation variables on property retention.     

阻燃型RTV硅橡胶泡沫的制备

以107硅橡胶、含氢硅油、端乙烯基硅油、氢氧化铝、石英砂、辅助发泡剂为主要原料,在铂催化剂的催化下制成室温硫化(RTV)硅橡胶泡沫。研究了辅助发泡剂种类及用量、氢氧化铝用量、发泡温度以及乙烯基苯基硅油对硅橡胶泡沫的发泡性能、阻燃性能和耐辐照性能的影响。结果表明,当使用2.0份丙三醇作辅助发泡剂时,硅橡胶泡沫的发泡系数最大;在20℃下,硅橡胶泡沫的发泡系数最大;添加15份氢氧化铝可有效地提高硅橡胶泡沫的阻燃性能,加入15份乙烯基苯基硅油可提高泡沫硅橡胶的耐辐照性能。     

Effect of binder on performance of intumescent coatings

This study investigates the role of the polymeric binder on the properties and performance of an intumescent coating. Waterborne resins of different types (vinylic, acrylic, and styrene-acrylic) were incorporated in an intumescent paint formulation, and characterized extensively in terms of thermal degradation behavior, intumescence thickness, and thermal insulation. Thermal microscopy images of charred foam development provided further information on the particular performance of each type of coating upon heating. The best foam expansion and heat protection results were obtained with the vinyl binders. Rheological measurements showed a complex evolution of the viscoelastic characteristics of the materials with temperature. As an example, the vinyl binders unexpectedly hardened significantly after thermal degradation. The values of storage moduli obtained at the onset of foam blowing (melamine decomposition) were used to explain different intumescence expansion behaviors.     

电力封堵用缩合型硅橡胶泡沫防火材料的制备及性能

研究了不同黏度和用量的乙烯基硅油、具有不同形态的防火填料对脱氢缩合型硅橡胶泡沫材料泡孔结构及防火性能的影响,使用橡胶加工分析仪表征了硅橡胶发泡过程中的发泡速率和交联速率,同时考察了氢氧化铝、云母、硅灰石3种填料对硅橡胶泡沫材料防火性能的影响。结果表明,不加入乙烯基硅油时,硅橡胶泡沫材料的储能模量较低,泡孔以闭孔结构为主;乙烯基硅油的加入提高了硅橡胶泡沫材料的交联速率和储能模量,使之形成较多的开孔结构,同时对硅橡胶泡沫材料泡孔尺寸分布也有影响;加入片状云母容易造成泡孔的坍塌或破裂,但是经火焰烧蚀后泡孔结构和烧蚀面的完整性保持较好,所形成的完整的陶瓷化阻隔层可起到较好的防火作用,而加入氢氧化铝和硅灰石后硅橡胶泡沫材料烧蚀后开裂比较严重。