Novel aspects of the microstructure of PP/PA blends prepared by reactive compounding as studied by microhardness

The microhardness of injection-moulded i-polypropylene/polyamide (iPP/PA) blends prepared by reactive compounding was determined. The formulation rules and processing technology for the preparation of these alloys was reported previously. iPP/PA compositions between 100/0 and 50/50 using functionalized PP with various degrees of mainchain grafting, were investigated. It is shown that the deviation of microhardness from the additivity law of the single components is mainly due to a decrease in the crystallinity of the iPP phase. The results are discussed in the light of the microstructural variations as revealed by X-ray diffraction methods.     

Thermal decomposition and micropore formation in PEK,PEEK and PES

At strain rates greater than about 10 the deformation of polymers is an adiabatic process which can lead to the generation of very high localized temperatures. These may be well in excess of the temperatures required for thermal decomposition of the polymer to occur. It is speculated that gaseous products arising from such decomposition may act as the source of microcavities and craze initiators. Experiments are described in which the thermal decomposition reaction parameters of polyetherketone, polyetheretherketone, and polysulphone are measured using differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis, and the decomposition products analysed by mass spectrometry. The results indicate that the proposed mechanism could act as a source of micropores with total pore volumes amounting to several per cent of the material volume.     

Sensitivity analysis of lossy coupled transmission lines

An analysis method, based on the numerical inversion of the Laplace transform, is described for the evaluation of the time domain sensitivity of networks that include lossy coupled transmission lines. The sensitivity can be calculated with respect to network components and parameters of the transmission lines. Sensitivity analysis is useful for waveform shaping and optimization. Examples and comparisons with sensitivity determined by perturbation are presented     

A Shortcut Method for Estimating the HETP of Structured Packed Distillation Columns at Elevated Pressure

A shortcut model is developed for predicting the HETP of a structured packed distillation column operating at elevated pressure. The proposed model incorporates the geometrical parameters of the packing, physical properties of the vapor and liquid phases, and the hydrodynamics of the two‐phase flow. The proposed model is tested and validated by comparing the predicted results with the present experimental data and some published HETP data. The results show that the proposed model can predict the experimental data with a deviation smaller than 20 %.