Dynamically Vulcanized Thermoplastic Elastomers

1996 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 476-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Abdou-Sabet ◽  
R. C. Puydak ◽  
C. P. Rader

Abstract Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) exhibit the functional properties of conventional thermoset rubber, yet can be processed on thermoplastic fabrication equipment. The great majority of TPEs have hetero-phase morphology, whether the TPE is derived from block copolymers, rubber-plastic compositions or ionomers. Generally speaking, the hard domains (or the ionic clusters) undergo dissociation at elevated temperatures, thus allowing the material to flow. When cooled, the hard domains again solidify and provide tensile strength at normal use temperatures. The soft domains give the material its elastomeric characteristics. In this review article, the focus is on rubber-plastic polymer compositions as a group of TPEs which have achieved significant growth in the marketplace in the last two decades. The growth has been primarily in the nonpolar (olefinic) elastomer/polyolefin thermoplastic materials because of the wide range of products generated, their performance and their significant acceptance by the automotive sector in applications requiring elastic recovery. The field of TPEs based on polyolefin rubber-plastic compositions has grown along two distinctly different product lines or classes: one class consists of a simple blend and classically meets the definition of a thermoplastic elastomeric olefin (TEO), commonly called a thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) in earlier literature. In the other class, the rubber phase is dynamically vulcanized, giving rise to thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs), named elastomeric alloys (EAs) in some previous literature. Both the simple blends and the dynamically vulcanized TPEs have found wide industrial application. It is the dynamically vulcanized TPE that has the performance characteristics required for true thermoset rubber replacement applications. The first TPE introduced to the market based on a crosslinked rubber-plastic composition (1972) was derived from W. K. Fisher's discovery of partially crosslinking the EPDM phase of EPDM/polypropylene (PP). Fisher controlled the degree of vulcanization by limiting the amount of peroxide, to maintain the thermoplastic processability of the blend. Crosslinking was performed while mixing, a process known as dynamic vulcanization. It is worth noting, however, that the dynamic vulcanization process and the first crosslinked EPDM/PP composition were discovered independently by Gessler and Haslett and by Holzer, Taurus and Mehnert in 1958 and 1961, respectively. Significant improvement in the properties of these blends was achieved in 1975 by Coran, Das and Patel by fully vulcanizing the rubber phase under dynamic shear while maintaining the thermoplasticity of the blend. These blends were further improved by Abdou-Sabet and Fath in 1977 by the use of phenolic curatives to improve the rubber-like properties and the flow (processing) characteristics.

1985 ◽  
Vol 49 (351) ◽  
pp. 159-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. E. Ringwood

AbstractMost countries intend to dispose of their high-level radioactive wastes by converting them into a solidified wasteform which is to be buried within the earth. SYNROC is a titanate ceramic wasteform which has been designed for this purpose on the basis of geochemical principles. It comprises essentially rutile TiO2, ‘hollandite’ Ba(Al,Ti)Ti6O16, zirconolite CaZrTi2O7, and perovskite CaTiO3. The latter three phases have the capacity to accept the great majority of radioactive elements occurring in high-level wastes into their crystal lattice sites. These minerals (or their close relatives) also occur in nature, where they have demonstrated their capacity to survive for many millions of years in a wide range of geological environments. The properties of SYNROC and the crystal chemistry of its constituent minerals are reviewed in some detail and current formulations of SYNROC are summarized. A notable property of SYNROC it its extremely high resistance to leaching by groundwaters, particularly above 100°C. In addition, it can be shown that the capacity of SYNROC minerals to immobilize high-level waste elements is not markedly impaired by high levels of radiation damage. Current investigations are focused on developing a satisfactory production technology for SYNROC and progress towards this objective is described. The high leach resistance of SYNROC at elevated temperatures increases the range of geological environments in which the waste may be finally interred; in particular, SYNROC is well adapted for disposal in deep drill-holes, both in continental and marine environments. The fact that SYNROC is comprised of minerals which have demonstrated long-term geological stability is significant in establishing public confidence in the ability of the nuclear industry to immobilize high-level wastes for the very long periods required.


1977 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Lilaonitkul ◽  
S. L. Cooper

Abstract The viscoelastic properties of polytetramethylene oxide—polytetramethylene terephthalate block polymers are strongly influenced by phase separation of the 4GT hard blocks into crystalline domains. Thermal analysis reveals a single Tg which increases with increasing 4GT content. This suggests that short sequences of hard segments form a compatible interlamellar amorphous phase with the polyether component. The Gordon-Taylor equation was found to model Tg behavior accurately, provided that the crystalline polyester component was not included in the definition of the hard segment. The melting point of the polytetramethylene terephthalate blocks depends on the average block length of crystallizable segment. Incorporating non-crystallizing polytetramethylene 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylate into the hard segment reduces the 4GT melting point and degree of crystallinity. The morphological features of the copolymers depend on sample composition and fabrication procedure. The basic structure is spherulitic. Three different types of spherulite were observed: positive and negative spherulites, as well as spherulites which have their optical axis 45° to their radial direction. The different spherulite types are relatively stable; annealing the samples at elevated temperatures does not alter their morphology. Annealing does increase the degree of crystallinity somewhat and produces crystallites in equilibrium at the annealing temperature. Infrared dichroism studies reveal that, at low deformations, the hard segment lamellae orient as a whole in the stretching direction. This is refleeted by the initial negative orientation of the hard segments. At this stage of elongation, the deformation of the crystallites is nearly reversible. At higher strain levels, the lamellae are disrupted and the hard segments orient positively with a high degree of orientational hysteresis. The soft segments, however, orient almost reversibly in the stress direction at all strain levels studied. It is concluded that the extensive stress softening is brought about by plastic deformation of the crystalline hard segments.


2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 248-254
Author(s):  
István Zoltán Halász ◽  
Dávid Kocsis ◽  
Dániel Ábel Simon ◽  
Andrea Kohári ◽  
Tamás Bárány

In our current paper the preparation and properties of thermoplastic elastomer produced by dynamic vulcanization is presented and discussed. We dynamically vulcanized natural and styrene butadiene rubber (NR/SBR) phase by continuous extrusion. Dispersion and in-situ vulcanization of the rubber phase occurred simultaneously in a co-rotating twin screw extruder. We used a random polypropylene copolymer (rPP) as the thermoplastic matrix and untreated crumb rubber (CR) to partially substitute the neat fresh rubber in order to check whether this is a potential recycling route for waste rubber products. We studied the effect of various rubber formulations, various processing conditions (screw speed and configuration) and various CR particle size distributions by characterizing the mechanical performance of the thermoplastic dynamic vulcanizates (TDVs) with tensile and hardness tests and their morphology by evaluating SEM micrographs taken from the fracture surfaces of the tensile specimens. The results showed that increasing screw speed and more high-shear elements in the screw setup led to a finer dispersion of the rubber phase, resulting in improved mechanical properties. The ultimate tensile properties of the best TDVs reached 20.5 MPa in tensile strength and 550 % in strain at break. However, partial replacement of the fresh rubber with untreated CR caused a significant deterioration in mechanical properties, due to poor adhesion between the CR particles and the matrix and rubber. This suggests that some kind of pre-treatment (e.g. by microwave or other devulcanization techniques) is necessary to enhance the surface activity of the CR particles.


1982 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 1448-1463 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. A. Goettlier ◽  
J. R. Richwine ◽  
F. J. Wille

Abstract Olefinic thermoplastic vulcanizates (OTV's) comprise rubber in the form of discrete, completely crosslinked particles uniformly dispersed in an olefinic thermoplastic matrix. By their nature, they flow like filled polymer melts: die swell is low, and shows evidence of a particle association at low shear rate and high temperature; viscosity obeys a power law relationship with shear rate over a wide range. In place of a Newtonian plateau at low shear rate, the viscosity of OTV's begins to rise precipitiously in building toward a yield stress. As with other olefinic thermoplastic elastomers, their viscosity is more highly sensitive to shear rate than to temperature. Both shear viscosity and die swell were measured for evidence of morphological character and definition of fabricability. Due to their high shear sensitivity, these OTV's can be easily processed by injection molding and extrusion. Processing temperatures are not critical, but lower ranges are preferred to optimize appearance and promote melt stability. The thixotropic nature of the melt minimizes drooling and allows easy cooldown without distortion of the formed part. Melt viscosity is little affected by moisture or repeated processing. Although melt extensibility is only moderate, it is sufficient to qualify these materials for most extrusion and blow molding applications. Low shear processing, such as the compression molding of prototype parts or calendering, is equally feasible. Thus, olefinic thermoplastic vulcanizates can be fabricated under a wide range of conditions by using conventional plastics processing tooling and methodology. They represent a versatile class of new elastomers that can be economically processed for across-the-board applications in industrial rubber products.


Author(s):  
Ernest L. Hall ◽  
J. B. Vander Sande

The present paper describes research on the mechanical properties and related dislocation structure of CdTe, a II-VI semiconductor compound with a wide range of uses in electrical and optical devices. At room temperature CdTe exhibits little plasticity and at the same time relatively low strength and hardness. The mechanical behavior of CdTe was examined at elevated temperatures with the goal of understanding plastic flow in this material and eventually improving the room temperature properties. Several samples of single crystal CdTe of identical size and crystallographic orientation were deformed in compression at 300°C to various levels of total strain. A resolved shear stress vs. compressive glide strain curve (Figure la) was derived from the results of the tests and the knowledge of the sample orientation.


Author(s):  
Denis Tikhomirov

The purpose of the article is to typologize terminological definitions of security, to find out the general, to identify the originality of their interpretations depending on the subject of legal regulation. The methodological basis of the study is the methods that made it possible to obtain valid conclusions, in particular, the method of comparison, through which it became possible to correlate different interpretations of the term "security"; method of hermeneutics, which allowed to elaborate texts of normative legal acts of Ukraine, method of typologization, which made it possible to create typologization groups of variants of understanding of the term "security". Scientific novelty. The article analyzes the understanding of the term "security" in various regulatory acts in force in Ukraine. Typological groups were understood to understand the term "security". Conclusions. The analysis of the legal material makes it possible to confirm that the issues of security are within the scope of both legislative regulation and various specialized by-laws. However, today there is no single conception on how to interpret security terminology. This is due both to the wide range of social relations that are the subject of legal regulation and to the relativity of the notion of security itself and the lack of coherence of views on its definition in legal acts and in the scientific literature. The multiplicity of definitions is explained by combinations of material and procedural understanding, static - dynamic, and conditioned by the peculiarities of a particular branch of legal regulation, limited ability to use methods of one or another branch, the inter-branch nature of some variations of security, etc. Separation, common and different in the definition of "security" can be used to further standardize, in fact, the regulatory legal understanding of security to more effectively implement the legal regulation of the security direction.


Author(s):  
Tim Rutherford-Johnson

By the start of the 21st century many of the foundations of postwar culture had disappeared: Europe had been rebuilt and, as the EU, had become one of the world’s largest economies; the United States’ claim to global dominance was threatened; and the postwar social democratic consensus was being replaced by market-led neoliberalism. Most importantly of all, the Cold War was over, and the World Wide Web had been born. Music After The Fall considers contemporary musical composition against this changed backdrop, placing it in the context of globalization, digitization, and new media. Drawing on theories from the other arts, in particular art and architecture, it expands the definition of Western art music to include forms of composition, experimental music, sound art, and crossover work from across the spectrum, inside and beyond the concert hall. Each chapter considers a wide range of composers, performers, works, and institutions are considered critically to build up a broad and rich picture of the new music ecosystem, from North American string quartets to Lebanese improvisers, from South American electroacoustic studios to pianos in the Australian outback. A new approach to the study of contemporary music is developed that relies less on taxonomies of style and technique, and more on the comparison of different responses to common themes, among them permission, fluidity, excess, and loss.


Alloy Digest ◽  
1975 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  

Abstract USS TENELON is a completely austenitic, nickel-free stainless steel with exceptionally high strength which is retained at elevated temperatures. It has excellent corrosion resistance in atmospheric and mild acid exposures and maintains nonmagnetic characteristics even when 60% cold reduced. It also has good stress-rupture and creep properties in the range 1200-1500 F. It has a wide range of applications. This datasheet provides information on composition, physical properties, elasticity, and tensile properties as well as fracture toughness, creep, and fatigue. It also includes information on high temperature performance and corrosion resistance as well as forming, heat treating, machining, joining, and surface treatment. Filing Code: SS-311. Producer or source: United States Steel Corporation.


Author(s):  
Branka Vulesevic ◽  
Naozumi Kubota ◽  
Ian G Burwash ◽  
Claire Cimadevilla ◽  
Sarah Tubiana ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims Severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) is defined by an aortic valve area (AVA) <1 cm2 or an AVA indexed to body surface area (BSA) <0.6 cm/m2, despite little evidence supporting the latter approach and important intrinsic limitations of BSA indexation. We hypothesized that AVA indexed to height (H) might be more applicable to a wide range of populations and body morphologies and might provide a better predictive accuracy. Methods and results In 1298 patients with degenerative AS and preserved ejection fraction from three different countries and continents (derivation cohort), we aimed to establish an AVA/H threshold that would be equivalent to 1.0 cm2 for defining severe AS. In a distinct prospective validation cohort of 395 patients, we compared the predictive accuracy of AVA/BSA and AVA/H. Correlations between AVA and AVA/BSA or AVA/H were excellent (all R2 > 0.79) but greater with AVA/H. Regressions lines were markedly different in obese and non-obese patients with AVA/BSA (P < 0.0001) but almost identical with AVA/H (P = 0.16). AVA/BSA values that corresponded to an AVA of 1.0 cm2 were markedly different in obese and non-obese patients (0.48 and 0.59 cm2/m2) but not with AVA/H (0.61 cm2/m for both). Agreement for the diagnosis of severe AS (AVA < 1 cm2) was significantly higher with AVA/H than with AVA/BSA (P < 0.05). Similar results were observed across the three countries. An AVA/H cut-off value of 0.6 cm2/m [HR = 8.2(5.6–12.1)] provided the best predictive value for the occurrence of AS-related events [absolute AVA of 1 cm2: HR = 7.3(5.0–10.7); AVA/BSA of 0.6 cm2/m2 HR = 6.7(4.4–10.0)]. Conclusion In a large multinational/multiracial cohort, AVA/H was better correlated with AVA than AVA/BSA and a cut-off value of 0.6 cm2/m provided a better diagnostic and prognostic value than 0.6 cm2/m2. Our results suggest that severe AS should be defined as an AVA < 1 cm2 or an AVA/H < 0.6 cm2/m rather than a BSA-indexed value of 0.6 cm2/m2.


Author(s):  
Juan de Lara ◽  
Esther Guerra

AbstractModelling is an essential activity in software engineering. It typically involves two meta-levels: one includes meta-models that describe modelling languages, and the other contains models built by instantiating those meta-models. Multi-level modelling generalizes this approach by allowing models to span an arbitrary number of meta-levels. A scenario that profits from multi-level modelling is the definition of language families that can be specialized (e.g., for different domains) by successive refinements at subsequent meta-levels, hence promoting language reuse. This enables an open set of variability options given by all possible specializations of the language family. However, multi-level modelling lacks the ability to express closed variability regarding the availability of language primitives or the possibility to opt between alternative primitive realizations. This limits the reuse opportunities of a language family. To improve this situation, we propose a novel combination of product lines with multi-level modelling to cover both open and closed variability. Our proposal is backed by a formal theory that guarantees correctness, enables top-down and bottom-up language variability design, and is implemented atop the MetaDepth multi-level modelling tool.


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