SPE Library

For a group of 14 polyethylenes (PE) with different densities (0.924 to 0.966 g/cm3) and melt flow index MFI (0.38 to 42 dg/min) the Environmental Stress Cracking Resistance (ESCR) of each PE was determined by the typical method of bent strip or ESCR at constant strain. The results were compared with those obtained by the evaluations of ESCR by constant-tensile-load method. For both methods the effects of the density and MFI on ESCR were similar and in agreement with those reported in the literature. However the failure time spread measured in the ESCR at constant load is smaller although both methods lead to high experimental errors attributed to limitations or omissions in the experimental protocols described in the standards used for these measurements.

Nanoclay composites require inclusion of chemicals such as surface coatings and compatibilizers to achieve required physical performance. However these chemicals are costly not environmentally friendly and their use restricts the commercial applications. This research covers the use of a new extensional flow mixer which can make nanocomposites without chemical additives and give comparable results to conventional technology which does use these chemical additives. The significance is the elimination of the need for the expensive additives and creating a lower cost product that has food and environmental acceptance.

An overview is given of the various drivers, needs and trends in the automotive industry and how these are matched by various new plastic solutions, which in the end all significantly increase the sustainability of various car components and of the cars in total.

Nanoclay composites require inclusion of chemicals, such as surface coatings and compatibilizers to achieve required physical performance. However, these chemicals are costly, not environmentally friendly, and their use restricts the commercial applications. This research covers the use of a new extensional flow mixer which can make nanocomposites without chemical additives, and give comparable results to conventional technology which does use these chemical additives. The significance is the elimination of the need for the expensive additives, and creating a lower cost product that has food and environmental acceptance.

Extrusion foaming using supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most economic and environmentally benign process but it is difficult to control the foam density and maintain the thermal insulation performance. In this study, we added water as a co-blowing agent to better control foam density and introduced carbon nanoparticles/activated carbon (AC) to improve the thermal insulation performance of polystyrene (PS) foam. In order to understand this novel extrusion foaming process, the effects of various parameters such as particle style and content, extruder barrel and die temperatures on foam density, morphology and thermal insulation performance are investigated systematically.

Silica aerogels have attracted attention for many applications due to their unique properties such as low density (0.003g/cm), mesoporosity (pore size 2-50nm), high thermal insulation and high surface area (500-1200m2/g). However, their fragility and environmental sensitivity restricts the use of monolithic silica aerogel. In this paper, silica aerogel that is cross-linked with diisocyanate is introduced and the effects of polymer concentration on aerogel properties, especially mechanical strength are discussed. Fracture of silicaaerogel mainly occurs at the interface of secondary particles that are formed during aging. It is believed that if the surface of silica aerogel is covalently bonded to nanocast polymer coating, the interparticle necks become wider and can reinforce the structure of the aerogel.

Polypropylene (PP)/polysulfone (PSU) membranes were successfully made using an environmentally-friendly process. Flux amongst other mechanical properties were improved with the introduction of functional polyolefins.Understanding the chemistry and location of the functional polyolefins is critical to explaining these improvements.

Polypropylene (PP)/polysulfone (PSU) membranes were successfully made using an environmentally-friendly process. Flux amongst other mechanical properties, were improved with the introduction of functional polyolefins. Understanding the chemistry and location of the functional polyolefins is critical to explaining these improvements.

Recent earth environmental concern requires easy recycle material system and the use of biodegradable polymer and natural fiber is noticed in composite materials. To apply the natural fiber for the structural parts the use as reinforcement of Sheet Molding Compound (SMC) is desirable because it is expected that SMC can be used in various fields in terms of high productivity and dimensional stability. Considering that fiber reinforced composite is used for structural part the design of the strength is very difficult because the failure mechanism is complicated considerably. In this study SMC that reinforcement was jute cloth was prepared. The low-cycle bending fatigue test and the cross sectional observation of fracture part were performed. As a result the brittle crack propagation in the interface around the fiber bundle was seen in the specimen of warp and weft direction and the phenomenon such as brittle crack propagation was not confirmed in the specimen of 45-degree direction.

Recent earth environmental concern requires easy recycle material system, and the use of biodegradable polymer and natural fiber is noticed in composite materials. To apply the natural fiber for the structural parts, the use as reinforcement of Sheet Molding Compound (SMC) is desirable because it is expected that SMC can be used in various fields in terms of high productivity and dimensional stability.Considering that fiber reinforced composite is used for structural part, the design of the strength is very difficult because the failure mechanism is complicated considerably. In this study, SMC that reinforcement was jute cloth was prepared. The low-cycle bending fatigue test and the cross sectional observation of fracture part were performed. As a result, the brittle crack propagation in the interface around the fiber bundle was seen in the specimen of warp and weft direction, and the phenomenon such as brittle crack propagation was not confirmed in the specimen of 45-degree direction.

End of Life Vehicles (ELVs) are becoming a growing concern because of their impact on the environment. The automotive industries are facing worldwide pressure to help find environmentally friendly ways of disposing end of life vehicles. Though most of the metal parts from the ELVs are recycled however, plastic components from the shredder residue are complex to separate and they are being mostly dumped into the landfill. The main purpose of this paper is to present an alternate solution to this environmental issue by using bio-degradable plastic in the automotives. Experimental works have been done to check the change in mechanical properties of bio-degradable plastic for accelerated weathering test. The results resemble the impact of weather on bio-degradable plastic while using for automotives in typical Australian environment.

The FricRiveting technique is a new alternative spot joining process developed for polymer-metal multimaterial structures. A cylindrical metallic rivet is used to join one or more thermoplastic-metal components by means of plasticizing and deforming the tip of the rotating rivet through frictional heating. Advantages of this new technique are short joining cycles minimal sample preparation and absence of environmental emissions.Fricriveted joints have enhanced mechanical performance.This study demonstrates with aid of a case study of polyetherimide to aluminum alloys the feasibility of FricRiveting.

Bamboo fiber may withhold great potential as an alternative to wood, and bamboo can be a raw material to fabricate a composite material and its applicability is being widely investigated. Cellulose fibers can be aligned to the length of the bamboo providing maximum tensile and flexural strengths and rigidity. Increased research in the recent years has considerably contributed to the use of bamboo fibers as a reinforcing material for broader applications. However, it is difficult to obtain polymer/bamboo fiber composite having its excellent mechanical properties, because the bamboo fibers covered with lignin show lack of interfacial adhesion. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance the interfacial adhesion by extracting lignin without microstructure disruption and adding silane coupling agents. In this research the influence of silane coupling agent, composites with pristine bamboo fiber, delignified bamboo fiber, and delignified and silane treated bamboo fiber were newly prepared and investigated, respectively.

Trends in styling continue to include metallic accents traditionally coming from paints and chrome plating. While paint and plating allow designers to achieve this desired look, both processes come with relatively high cost and are not environmentally friendly. VOCs, chemical disposal and no potential to recycle once the part is painted or plated are environmental concerns. New engineering resins have been developed which eliminate the need for painting and can achieve the desired appearance right out of the mold. This talk explores these resins as a way to get green: both environmentally and with lower cost.

Novel green composites" have been prepared using a conjugated soybean oil resin and corn stover as a natural fiber. Approximately 68 million metric tons of corn stover the residue remaining after harvest is available annually in the United States. The effect of the amount of the natural fiber the length of the fiber and the amount of the crosslinker on the structure and thermal and mechanical properties of the composites has been determined using Soxhlet extraction analysis thermogravimetric analysis dynamic mechanical analysis and tensile testing. Increasing the amount of corn stover and decreasing the length of the fiber results in significant improvements in the mechanical properties of the composites. The Youngƒ??s moduli and tensile strengths of the composites range from 386 to 1324 MPa and 3.5 to 6.5 MPa respectively."Novel green composites" have been prepared using a conjugated soybean oil resin and corn stover as a natural fiber. Approximately 68 million metric tons of corn stover the residue remaining after harvest is available annually in the United States. The effect of the amount of the natural fiber the length of the fiber and the amount of the crosslinker on the structure and thermal and mechanical properties of the composites has been determined using Soxhlet extraction analysis thermogravimetric analysis dynamic mechanical analysis and tensile testing. Increasing the amount of corn stover and decreasing the length of the fiber results in significant improvements in the mechanical properties of the composites. The Youngƒ??s moduli and tensile strengths of the composites range from 386 to 1324 MPa and 3.5 to 6.5 MPa respectively."

Novel “green composites” have been prepared using a conjugated soybean oil resin and corn stover as a natural fiber. Approximately 68 million metric tons of corn stover the residue remaining after harvest is available annually in the United States. The effect of the amount of the natural fiber the length of the fiber and the amount of the crosslinker on the structure and thermal and mechanical properties of the composites has been determined using Soxhlet extraction analysis thermogravimetric analysis dynamic mechanical analysis and tensile testing. Increasing the amount of corn stover and decreasing the length of the fiber results in significant improvements in the mechanical properties of the composites. The Young’s moduli and tensile strengths of the composites range from 386 to 1324 MPa and 3.5 to 6.5 MPa respectively.

As the demand of green materials and green products are growing, the use of renewable resources and recycle materials are of great attraction. Natural fiber composites have been extensively studied during the last ten years. However, the main focuses were laminate thermoset composites and extrusion/injection composite products. New approach in fabricating thermoplastic composite parts and composite formulation with flax fiber at low cost has been developed to reduce energy consumption and improve the mechanical performance. The laminate composites were prepared by compression moulding. The results demonstrate that the formulation and the fiber treatment play important roles to the performances of the composites.

Polysaccharides and protein biopolymers are of increasing interest for their use as sustainable coating materials.However their main drawback in these applications is their inherent high water-permeability and low water resistance at high relative humidity conditions. In this study two specifically designed commercial fillers of different nature and aspect ratio were successfully incorporated into two polysaccharides: methyl cellulose and chitosan. The morphology study indicated that a good dispersion with intercalation of the fillers was observed in both matrices. The water barrier properties of the nanobiocomposites were found to be enhanced to a significant extent particularly for the higher aspect ratio filler as compared to the pure matrix materials while the biodegradability of the composite materials was maintained.

The plastics industry and related markets represents a substantial opportunity for entrepreneurial and intrapreneural activity ƒ?? particularly in the emerging Clean Technology space. Investment into clean technology is one of the fastest growing markets. However the plastics industry is currently lagging in its ability of startup technologies to tap into those funds. In order to increase access to capital the plastics industry must continue to foster innovation through its development of clean technologies companies. These companies will be built on entrepreneurial and scientific talent broad market opportunities and cutting edge technologies. There are many challenges faced by clean technology companies but with the right foresight and planning success can be achieved and new technologies commercialized.This presentation will provide insights into the clean technology marketplace and insights into successful companies within the plastics industry. In addition weƒ??ll explore what new and emerging companies will require in order to tap into investment dollars and advance their technologies.

The aim of this study was to investigate the interealtions between the design processing and properties of hydroxyapatite-poly(lactide) composites intended?ÿ as biodegradable bone grafts for joining fractured bone tissues.?ÿ Poly(lactide) fibers were employed to increase the axial strength and toughess of the composite.?ÿ The hydroxyapatite nano rods are also aligned in the axial direction during the pultrusion process to increase the low-strain modulus of the composite.?ÿ The resulting composite with a composition of HA: PCL:?ÿ PLA= 3: 34: 63 (vol%) had a tensile modulus of 6.6 GPa.