scholarly journals Effect of Conditioning on PU Foam Matrix Materials Properties

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 195
Author(s):  
Lubomír Lapčík ◽  
Martin Vašina ◽  
Barbora Lapčíková ◽  
Yousef Murtaja

This article deals with the characterization of the thermal-induced aging of soft polyurethane (PU) foams. There are studied thermal and mechanical properties by means of thermal analysis, tensile, compression and dynamic mechanical vibration testing. It was found in this study, that the increasing relative humidity of the surrounding atmosphere leads to the initiation of the degradation processes. This is reflected in the observed decreased mechanical stiffness. It is attributed to the plasticization of the PU foams wall material. It is in agreement with the observed increase of the permanent deformation accompanied simultaneously with the decrease of Young’s modulus of elasticity. The latter phenomenon is studied by the novel non-destructive forced oscillations vibration-damping testing, which is confirmed by observed lower mechanical stiffness thus indicating the loss of the elasticity induced by samples conditioning. In parallel, observed decreasing of the matrix hardness is confirming the loss of elastic mechanical performance as well. The effect of conditioning leads to the significant loss of the PU foam’s thermal stability.

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1124
Author(s):  
Zhifang Liang ◽  
Hongwu Wu ◽  
Ruipu Liu ◽  
Caiquan Wu

Green biodegradable plastics have come into focus as an alternative to restricted plastic products. In this paper, continuous long sisal fiber (SF)/polylactic acid (PLA) premixes were prepared by an extrusion-rolling blending process, and then unidirectional continuous long sisal fiber-reinforced PLA composites (LSFCs) were prepared by compression molding to explore the effect of long fiber on the mechanical properties of sisal fiber-reinforced composites. As a comparison, random short sisal fiber-reinforced PLA composites (SSFCs) were prepared by open milling and molding. The experimental results show that continuous long sisal fiber/PLA premixes could be successfully obtained from this pre-blending process. It was found that the presence of long sisal fibers could greatly improve the tensile strength of LSFC material along the fiber extension direction and slightly increase its tensile elongation. Continuous long fibers in LSFCs could greatly participate in supporting the load applied to the composite material. However, when comparing the mechanical properties of the two composite materials, the poor compatibility between the fiber and the matrix made fiber’s reinforcement effect not well reflected in SSFCs. Similarly, the flexural performance and impact performance of LSFCs had been improved considerably versus SSFCs.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1055
Author(s):  
Hersh Chaitin ◽  
Michael L. Lu ◽  
Michael B. Wallace ◽  
Yunqing Kang

Many decellularized extracellular matrix-derived whole organs have been widely used in studies of tissue engineering and cancer models. However, decellularizing porcine esophagus to obtain decellularized esophageal matrix (DEM) for potential biomedical applications has not been widely investigated. In this study a modified decellularization protocol was employed to prepare a porcine esophageal DEM for the study of cancer cell growth. The cellular removal and retention of matrix components in the porcine DEM were fully characterized. The microstructure of the DEM was observed using scanning electronic microscopy. Human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and human primary esophageal fibroblast cells (FBCs) were seeded in the DEM to observe their growth. Results show that the decellularization process did not cause significant loss of mechanical properties and that blood ducts and lymphatic vessels in the submucosa layer were also preserved. ESCC and FBCs grew on the DEM well and the matrix did not show any toxicity to cells. When FBS and ESCC were cocultured on the matrix, they secreted more periostin, a protein that supports cell adhesion on matrix. This study shows that the modified decellularization protocol can effectively remove the cell materials and maintain the microstructure of the porcine esophageal matrix, which has the potential application of studying cell growth and migration for esophageal cancer models.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 2133
Author(s):  
Helena Oliver-Ortega ◽  
Josep Tresserras ◽  
Fernando Julian ◽  
Manel Alcalà ◽  
Alba Bala ◽  
...  

Packaging consumes around 40% of the total plastic production. One of the most important fields with high requirements is food packaging. Food packaging products have been commonly produced with petrol polymers, but due to environmental concerns, the market is being moved to biopolymers. Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) is the most promising biopolymer, as it is bio-based and biodegradable, and it is well established in the market. Nonetheless, its barrier properties need to be enhanced to be competitive with other polymers such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Nanoclays improve the barrier properties of polymeric materials if correct dispersion and exfoliation are obtained. Thus, it marks a milestone to obtain an appropriate dispersion. A predispersed methodology is proposed as a compounding process to improve the dispersion of these composites instead of common melt procedures. Afterwards, the effect of the polarity of the matrix was analyzing using polar and surface modified nanoclays with contents ranging from 2 to 8% w/w. The results showed the suitability of the predispersed and concentrated compound, technically named masterbatch, to obtain intercalated structures and the higher dispersion of polar nanoclays. Finally, the mechanical performance and sustainability of the prepared materials were simulated in a food tray, showing the best assessment of these materials and their lower fingerprint.


Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 295
Author(s):  
Asma Yakdhane ◽  
Sabrine Labidi ◽  
Donia Chaabane ◽  
Anita Tolnay ◽  
Arijit Nath ◽  
...  

Microencapsulation is a well-known technology for the lipid delivery system. It prevents the oxidation of fatty acids and maintains the quality of lipid after extraction from oil seed and processing. In flaxseed oil, the amount of ω-3 and ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids are 39.90–60.42% and 12.25–17.44%, respectively. A comprehensive review article on the microencapsulation of flaxseed oil has not been published yet. Realizing the great advantages of flaxseed oil, information about different technologies related to the microencapsulation of flaxseed oil and their characteristics are discussed in a comprehensive way, in this review article. To prepare the microcapsule of flaxseed oil, an emulsion of oil-water is performed along with a wall material (matrix), followed by drying with a spray-dryer or freeze-dryer. Different matrices, such as plant and animal-based proteins, maltodextrin, gum Arabic, and modified starch are used for the encapsulation of flaxseed oil. In some cases, emulsifiers, such as Tween 80 and soya lecithin are used to prepare flaxseed oil microcapsules. Physico-chemical and bio-chemical characteristics of flaxseed oil microcapsules depend on process parameters, ratio of oil and matrix, and characteristics of the matrix. As an example, the size of the microcapsule, prepared with spray-drying and freeze-drying ranges between 10–400 and 20–5000 μm, respectively. It may be considered that the comprehensive information on the encapsulation of flaxseed oil will boost the development of functional foods and biopharmaceuticals.


2019 ◽  
Vol 81 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Norfazira Mohd Azahar ◽  
Norhidayah Abdul Hassan ◽  
Ramadhansyah Putra Jaya ◽  
Hasanan Md. Nor ◽  
Mohd Khairul Idham Mohd Satar ◽  
...  

The use of cup lump rubber as an additive in asphalt binder has recently become the main interest of the paving industry. The innovation helps to increase the natural rubber consumption and stabilize the rubber price. This study evaluates the mechanical performance of cup lump rubber modified asphalt (CMA) mixture in terms of resilient modulus, dynamic creep and indirect tensile strength under aging conditions. The CMA mixture was prepared using dense-graded Marshall-designed mix and the observed behavior was compared with that of conventional mixture. From the results, both mixtures passed the volumetric properties as accordance to Malaysian Public Work Department (PWD) specification. The addition of cup lump rubber provides better resistance against permanent deformation through the enhanced properties of resilient modulus and dynamic creep. Furthermore, the resilient modulus of CMA mixture performed better under aging conditions.  


Author(s):  
Ekarizan Shaffie ◽  
◽  
H.A. Rashid ◽  
Fiona Shiong ◽  
Ahmad Kamil Arshad ◽  
...  

Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA) is a gap-graded hot mixture designed to provide higher resistance towards permanent deformation and rutting potential by 30% to 40% more than dense-graded asphalt, due to its stable aggregate skeleton structure. However, compared to other types of hot mix asphalt, SMA unfortunately has some shortcomings in term of its susceptibility towards moisture-induced damage due to its structure and excessive bitumen content in the composition. This research aims to assess the performance of a SMA mixture with steel fiber by enhancing overall stability, abrasion resistance, and, most importantly, moisture susceptibility. This study involved the incorporation of various steel fiber proportions of 0%, 0.3%, 0.5% and 0.7% by the total weight of mixture. The steel fiber modified SMA was made up of 6.0% PEN 60/70 bitumen content. The performance of SMA were evaluated through Marshall stability and flow test, Cantabro loss test and indirect tensile strength test. The results obtained from the testing showed that the incorporation of steel fiber is significantly effective to enhance the resistance towards moisture damage, while increasing the stability and reducing the abrasion loss of SMA mixture, compared to conventional mixture. Overall, it can be concluded that the addition of steel fiber in asphalt mixture specifically SMA, has improved the mechanical performance in the application of asphalt pavement with the optimum steel fiber proportion of 0.3% by the weight of mixture. The developed models between the independent variables and responses demonstrated high levels of correlation. The study found that Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is an effective statistical method for providing an appropriate empirical model for relating parameters and predicting the optimum performance of an asphaltic mixture to reduce flexible pavement failure.


2012 ◽  
Vol 79 ◽  
pp. 41-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabia Galantini ◽  
Sabrina Bianchi ◽  
Valter Castelvetro ◽  
Irene Anguillesi ◽  
Giuseppe Gallone

Among the broad class of electro-active polymers, dielectric elastomer actuators represent a rapidly growing technology for electromechanical transduction. In order to further develop this applied science, the high driving voltages currently needed must be reduced. For this purpose, one of the most promising and adopted approach is to increase the dielectric constant while maintaining both low dielectric losses and high mechanical compliance. In this work, a dielectric elastomer was prepared by dispersing functionalised carbon nanotubes into a polyurethane matrix and the effects of filler dispersion into the matrix were studied in terms of dielectric, mechanical and electro-mechanical performance. An interesting increment of the dielectric constant was observed throughout the collected spectrum while the loss factor remained almost unchanged with respect to the simple matrix, indicating that conductive percolation paths did not arise in such a system. Consequences of the chemical functionalisation of carbon nanotubes with respect to the use of unmodified filler were also studied and discussed along with rising benefits and drawbacks for the whole composite material.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 145-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viviane Costa Correia ◽  
Sergio Francisco Santos ◽  
Holmer Savastano Jr ◽  
Vanderley Moacyr John

Vegetable fibers produced from agroindustrial resources in the macro, micro and nanometric scales have been used as reinforcement in cementitious materials. The cellulosic pulp, besides being used as the reinforcing element, is also the processing fiber that is responsible for the filtration system in the Hatcheck method. On the other hand, the nanofibrillated cellulose has the advantage of having good mechanical performance and high specific surface, which contributes to improve the adhesion between fiber and matrix. In the hybrid reinforcement, with micro and nanofibers, the cellulose performs bonding elements with the matrix and acts as stress transfer bridges in the micro and nano-cracking network with the corresponding strengthening and toughening of the cementitious composite. Some strategies are studied to mitigate the degradation of the vegetable fibers used in cost-effective and non-conventional fiber cement, as well as to reach a sustainable fiber cement production. As a practical example, the accelerated carbonation curing at early age is a developing technology to increase the durability of composite materials: it decreases porosity, promotes a higher density in the interface generating a good fiber–matrix adhesion and a better mechanical behavior. Thus, the vegetable fibers are potentially applicable to produce high mechanical performance and sustainable cementitious materials for use in the Civil Construction.


2010 ◽  
Vol 667-669 ◽  
pp. 457-461
Author(s):  
Wei Guo ◽  
Qu Dong Wang ◽  
Man Ping Liu ◽  
Tao Peng ◽  
Xin Tao Liu ◽  
...  

Cyclic channel die compression (CCDC) of AZ31-1.7 wt.% Si alloy was performed up to 5 passes at 623 K in order to investigate the microstructure and mechanical properties of compressed alloys. The results show that multi-pass CCDC is very effective to refine the matrix grain and Mg2Si phases. After the alloy is processed for 5 passes, the mean grain size decreases from 300 μm of as-cast to 8 μm. Both dendritic and Chinese script type Mg2Si phases break into small polygonal pieces and distribute uniformly in the matrix. The tensile strength increases prominently from 118 MPa to 216 MPa, whereas the hardness of alloy deformed 5 passes only increase by 8.4% compared with as-cast state.


1987 ◽  
Vol 114 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Bentur

ABSTRACTThe microstructure of the matrix in the vicinity of the fibre surface is quite different from the microstructure of the bulk paste matrix. This can have an important effect on the processes that take place at the interface, such as crack-fibre interaction and debonding. The present paper describes the special structure of this zone, in monofilament and bundled fibre reinforced cements, and discusses its effects on some characteristics of the mechanical performance of the composites, which cannot be predicted by analytical models assuming a uniform matrix up to the fibre surface. The modification of the microstructure at the interface as a means for improving properties in some composites is described.


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