The SPE Library contains thousands of papers, presentations, journal briefs and recorded webinars from the best minds in the Plastics Industry. Spanning almost two decades, this collection of published research and development work in polymer science and plastics technology is a wealth of knowledge and information for anyone involved in plastics.
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Chi-Kai Shih, Mimi Y. Keating, M. Pottiger, M. Wetzel, May 2010
Explosive advances took place in all fronts of Polymer Analysis in the past 40 years. Selected breakthrough inventions in two of the most exciting areas, viz., thermal analysis and rheological analysis will be highlighted with emphasis on industrial applications. We'll discuss the evolutions, advancement, and impact to the industry and impact to science and technology as well as available stories behind these inventions. The selections were chosen from patent and journal articles on innovations such as DTA, DSC, TGA, thermal fractionations, TGA-GC, MASS, -IR etc., and MI, Mooney Viscosity tests as well as modern rheometers, polymer fingerprinting techniques.
A class of poly(amino acids) often used in medical and pharmaceutical applications forms potentially useful extended associations above a critical concentration.
Shaoqin Gong, Srikanth Pilla, Lih-Sheng Turng, Jungjoo Lee, Alireza Javadi, Adam J. Kramschuster, April 2010
Using microcellular injection molding to prepare renewable polymer composites could lead to components with lower cost, improved material properties, and an extended range of applications.
Merquinsa has developed Pearlthane® ECO, based upon polyols derived from various
plant sources. The driving force to develop this bio TPU was our interest in creating a
more sustainable product offering for companies and brands to choose from. These
products, with very similar thermal, mechanical and rheological behaviour to standard
TPU’s, have been widely accepted in the marketplace and are affording design
engineers performance with sustainability.
Although conceptually it is believed that producing TPU parts from bio based products is
more environmentally friendly, Merquinsa will quantify and compare the greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions to validate this belief with hard science. The quantification of
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the production of a product is
commonly referred to as the “carbon footprint”. PAS 2050 is a method prepared by the
BSI British Standards for assessing the product life cycle GHG. For the purpose of this
comparison, the lifecycle is defined as beginning with raw material manufacture, either
from agricultural or petrochemical inputs, through to the delivery at our customer’s
facility. This is commonly referred to as the cradle-to-gate approach. Any process at
customers beyond this point will be similar for the Pearlthane® ECO and standard
Pearlthane® TPU materials.
A pair of modified rheology and gravimetry techniques successfully measure and describe the evolution of the volumetric effects of an epoxy system during processing.
The dynamic viscosity of resins undergoing soft gelation shows a marked sigmoidal shape, suggesting that similarly shaped functions might be considered for model predictions.
The development and implementation of lightweight materials using
fiber composites made by injection molding represents an engineering
challenge due to the inability to control the fiber orientation in the
required direction of mechanical demand. This paper presents progress
in developing the capability of predicting fiber orientation in simple
and complex flow geometries for highly concentrated short-glass-fiber
suspensions and the extension of this approach to long-glass-fiber
suspensions. Three important aspects included in the approach are
the implementation of new theories to model fiber orientation the
evaluation of model parameters from rheological experiments and
the use of stable numerical methods based on discontinuous Galerkin
finite-element method.
Nanographite (NG) produced from milling by high pressure homogenisation was compounded in a Twin Screw Extruder with Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). The resultant PET-NG pellets, produced in a variety of compositions (0-2% w/w) were subjected to Rheology, DSC, Electrical Resistivity and Tensile Analysis. No nucleation of the PET was noted even at low concentrations - 0.1%w/w NG. Viscosity of the blends was increased with addition of NG thus allowing for greater continuity of the fibres spun at the faster haul off rate.
Martin Sentmanat , Savvas G. Hatzikiriakos , Christos Stamboulides, May 2009
Polymeric compounds and blends are typically developed via a mechanical mixing process during which time the ingredients are subjected to both shear and extensional deformations. The overall integrity of said compounds strongly depends upon the shear and extensional rheological properties of the polymeric matrix. In addition, the rheological properties also control the final quality and commercial attractiveness of the final products. Often times when working with new experimental fillers and polymers, material quantities may be available in extremely limited amounts thereby constraining material compounding protocols and the physical property characterizations associated therewith. A new miniature mixer has been developed to monitor and optimize the preparation protocol of various polymeric compounds and blend systems. The effect of mixing time and other basic processing parameters on the shear and extensional rheological properties of said compounds is examined in order to understand the effect of undermixed and/or overmixed conditions on the rheological properties and thus the quality of the final products. Results from said new miniature mixer are compared with the results from other conventional mixing techniques in order to assess the scalability of the new mixing protocol.
Rabeh Elleithy , Saeed Al-Zahrani , Babu Gajendran, May 2009
It is known that polymers properties could change due to repeated exposure to high temperatures and shear during processing and recycling. In this research the rheological and thermal properties of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) were investigated. A twin screw extruder (Farrel FTX20) was used to expose PE and PP to repeated thermal history during pelletization. PE and PP were exposed to thermal histories up to 12 times during pelletization and re-pelletization processes. The rheological and thermal properties of the virgin polymer were compared to the re-pelletized ones. It was noticed that the melt viscosity of PE increased and that of PP decreased as the polymer was exposed to repeated pelletization. Additionally, the evaluated thermal properties of those of PE were not significantly changed, whereas, those of PP were affected.
Rabeh Elleithy , Fahd AlMundarij , Salem AlDeyab, May 2009
This paper is a sequel to a previous publication that was presented at ANTEC '08. That paper addressed a variety of uses of the Melt Flow Index (MFI) equipment, which were achieved by changing the heating temperature, the dwell time, and load. Some of these conditions were used to judge the temperature and / or load sensitivity of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).In the current paper we will show a new set of applications for the MFI equipment. Some of polyolefin's properties that are presented here and could be characterized by MFI equipment are; melt density, extrudate swell, and viscosity. These properties were measured and compared for high density PE (HDPE), linear low density PE (LLDPE), low density PE (LDPE), and PP.
Reza Rizvi , Brendan Cochrane , Hani Naguib, May 2009
This study details the fabrication and foaming of melt blended polylactide (PLA) and chitin composites. The chitin used for compounding was as-received and in nano-whisker form, which were produced by an acidhydrolysis technique and their morphology was examined with Transmission Electron Microscopy. The composites were characterized for their thermal and rheological behavior. Chitin was found to decrease the thermal stability but increase the crystallinity of PLA. Addition of chitin was also found to reduce the viscosity of the composites even though chitin is a stiffer phase. The reason for this observation is believed to be due to the hydrolysis of PLA during melt blending of chitin in suspension. Foam samples were produced by a two step batch foaming technique and the expansion behavior was correlated with the visco-elastic observations.
Detailed application data is presented for the newly developed additive formulations designed for their use in surface enhancement of TPO polymers with improved flow and scratch properties. Improvements in impact properties and talc dispersion have been achieved with newly developed additives. Excellent scratch resistance performance has been achieved in TPO when used at 1-3% loadings without negatively affecting key physical properties. Recent work conducted on flow and release property enhancers for polyolefins are discussed. It is shown that significant performance improvements in PP /TPO polymers can be obtained at low loadings of these process aids. In addition to mechanical properties, rheological data is presented. It is shown that tailor making the additive formulations can achieve optimal scratch performance required for automotive interior/exterior applications.
Koki Miyazono , Christopher D. Kagarise , Monon Mahboob , Stephen E. Bechtel, May 2009
The rheological behavior and morphology of polystyrene / carbon nanofiber (PS/CNF) composites in their melt phase have been characterized through experimental measurements. Viscosity measurements of the PS/CNF composites in the linear viscoelastic regime show the ratio of the transient extensional viscosity to the transient shear viscosity to be greater than three, the Trouton ratio. This behavior is believed to be due to differences in the flow induced orientation of the CNFs in shear and extensional flow. The orientation development of the CNFs were analyzed by TEM and optical microscope and considered for the relationship to rheological behavior.
Joseph Dooley , Chunxia Costeux , Robert Wrisley , Andrew Schlader, May 2008
Multilayer coextrusion is a process in which two or more polymers are extruded and joined together in a feedblock or die to form a single structure with multiple layers. This paper will discuss techniques for measuring experimental rheology data for monolayer and multilayer structures. These data will then be used to show the effects of multilayer rheology in the design of coextruded structures.
The use of organoclay in polymers is expected to increase on average annually by about 5 percent. This paper describes melt blending techniques using PET nanocomposites containing commercially available organoclays with different percentage of surfactant coatings. This paper will also evaluate the morphology and mechanical properties of the composites using a range of techniques like scanning electron microscope melt rheology andthermal analysis. Comparisons will be made between properties of amorphous and semi crystalline films in terms of surfactant used and material properties. It will be demonstrated that the quantity of surfactant used with the organoclays can significantly affect dispersion and properties of composites produced.
High-throughput rheological characterization has applications in many industries but dealing with molten polymers poses special challenges. For purposes of structure determination however rheology has potential advantages over GPC. There is currently no commercial rhometric device that can make rapid measurements on very small samples of molten polymers. However descriptions of several devices designed to accomplish this have been described in presentations and publications. The deformations involved include capillary torsional shear and squeeze flows. Each of these approaches has its advantages and disadvantages and it is not yet clear which if any of them will be able to meet the stringent requirements of high-throughput characterization.
Supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) is of interest as a physical blowing agent in the manufacture of plastic foam and as a plasticizer to reduce melt viscosity during processing. The combined effects of concentration (C) of dissolved CO2 pressure (P) and temperature (T) on the rheological properties of the melt were determined to achieve optimum processing conditions. Linear and branched polypropylenes and their blends were chosen. A high-pressure sliding plate rheometer in which the shear deformation T P and C are all uniform was used. It was possible to use shift factors for T P and C to obtain a master curve.
Kim McLoughlin Senior Research Engineer, Global Materials Science Braskem
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Kim drives technology programs at Braskem to develop advanced polyolefins with improved recyclability and sustainability. As Principal Investigator on a REMADE-funded collaboration, Kim leads a diverse industry-academic team that is developing a process to recycle elastomers as secondary feedstock. Kim has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Cornell. She is an inventor on more than 25 patents and applications for novel polyolefin technologies. Kim is on the Board of Directors of SPE’s Thermoplastic Materials & Foams Division, where she has served as Education Chair and Councilor.
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Gamini has a BS and PhD from Purdue University in Materials Engineering and Sustainability. He joined Penn State as a Post Doctorate Scholar in 2020 prior to his professorship appointment. He works closely with PA plastics manufacturers to implement sustainability programs in their plants.
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Tom Giovannetti holds a Degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Tulsa and for the last 26 years has worked for Chevron Phillips Chemical Company. Tom started his plastics career by designing various injection molded products for the chemical industry including explosion proof plugs and receptacles, panel boards and detonation arrestors for 24 inch pipelines. Tom also holds a patent for design of a polyphenylene sulfide sleeve in a nylon coolant cross-over of an air intake manifold and is a Certified Plastic Technologist through the Society of Plastic Engineers. Tom serves on the Oklahoma Section Board as Councilor, is also the past president of the local Oklahoma SPE Section, and as well serves on the SPE Injection Molding Division board.
Joseph Lawrence, Ph.D. Senior Director and Research Professor University of Toledo
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Dr. Joseph Lawrence is a Research Professor and Senior Director of the Polymer Institute and the Center for Materials and Sensor Characterization at the University of Toledo. He is a Chemical Engineer by training and after working in the process industry, he has been engaged in polymers and composites research for 18+ years. In the Polymer Institute he leads research on renewably sourced polymers, plastics recycling, and additive manufacturing. He is also the lead investigator of the Polyesters and Barrier Materials Research Consortium funded by industry. Dr. Lawrence has advised 20 graduate students, mentored 8 staff scientists and several undergraduate students. He is a peer reviewer in several journals, has authored 30+ peer-reviewed publications and serves on the board of the Injection Molding Division of SPE.
Matt Hammernik Northeast Account Manager Hasco America
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Matt Hammernik serves as Hasco America’s Northeast Area Account Manager covering the states Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. He started with Hasco America at the beginning of March 2022. Matt started in the Injection Mold Industry roughly 10 years ago as an estimator quoting injection mold base steel, components and machining. He advanced into outside sales and has been serving molders, mold builders and mold makers for about 7 years.
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Any article that is cited in another manuscript or other work is required to use the correct reference style. Below is an example of the reference style for SPE articles:
Brown, H. L. and Jones, D. H. 2016, May.
"Insert title of paper here in quotes,"
ANTEC 2016 - Indianapolis, Indiana, USA May 23-25, 2016. [On-line].
Society of Plastics Engineers, ISBN: 123-0-1234567-8-9, pp. 000-000.
Available: www.4spe.org.
Note: if there are more than three authors you may use the first author's name and et al. EG Brown, H. L. et al.
