A New Era in Engineering Plastics: Compatibility and Perspectives of Sustainable Alipharomatic Poly(ethylene terephthalate)/Poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) Blends

The industrialisation of poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) for total replacement of poly(ethylene terephthalate) in the polyester market is under question. Preparation of high-performing polymer blends is a well-established strategy for tuning the properties of certain homopolymers and create tailor-made materials to meet the demands for a number of applications. In this work, the structure, thermal properties and the miscibility of a series of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PET/PEF) blends have been studied. A number of thermal treatments were followed in order to examine the thermal transitions, their dynamic state and the miscibility characteristics for each blend composition. Based on their glass transition temperatures and melting behaviour the PET/PEF blends are miscible at high and low poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) contents, while partial miscibility was observed at intermediate compositions. The multiple melting was studied and their melting point depression was analysed with the Flory-Huggins theory. In an attempt to further improve miscibility, reactive blending was also investigated.

Fibre Alignment and Void Assessment in Thermoplastic Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymers Manufactured by Automated Tape Placement

Automated Tape Placement (ATP) technology is one of the processes that is used for the production of the thermoplastic composite materials. The ATP process is complex, requiring multiple melting/crystallization cycles. In the current paper, laser-assisted ATP was used to manufacture two thermoplastic composites (IM7/PEEK and AS4/PA12). Those specimens were compared to specimens that were made of thermoset polymeric composites (IM7/8552) manufactured while using a standard autoclave cycle. In order assess the quality, void content, fibre distribution, and fibre misalignment were measured. After manufacturing, specimens from the three materials were assessed using optical microscopy and computed tomography (CT) scans. The results showed that, as compared to the thermoset composites, thermoplastics that are manufactured by the ATP have a higher amount of voids. On the other hand, manufacturing using the ATP showed an improvement in both the fibre distribution inside the matrix and the fibre misalignment.

Effect of Melting–Recycling Cycles and Mechanical Fracture on the Thermoplastic Materials Composed of Thermoplastic Polyurethane and Polypropylene Waste Blends

With appropriate conditions, thermoplastic materials possess a good reversible ability. They are prone to exceed the reversibility range when being repeatedly processed as they cannot bear high temperatures. Therefore, this study aims to explore the impacts of the melting–recycling cycles and the presence of a compatibilizer on the omnipresent thermoplastic materials. Additionally, the tensile properties, morphology, and thermal properties are studied. The feasibility of multiple utilizations and differentiation effects are examined afterward. In this study, recycled or mechanically damaged thermoplastic polyurethane (T)/polypropylene (P) waste blends are used as the raw materials for the hot-pressing cycle, while maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MA) is used as the compatibilizer, thereby simulating the waste compounds. Next, the T/P/MA blends that undergo post-2nd and post-3rd recycling are evaluated for comprehensive change. The test results indicate that without MA, T/P blends exhibit significant differentiation effects due to an increase in the polypropylene content and multiple melting–recycling cycles. By contrast, the presence of MA mitigates the overall differentiation effect of T/P blends. The ultimate purpose of this study is to treat waste compounds via a simple hot-pressing approach to produce useful materials that can be used again. As a result, this study attenuates the negative influences of plastic waste on the environment while achieving sustainable development.

ATI ALLVAC 30, 40, 55, 70

ATI Allvac 30, 40, 55 and 70 are commercially pure, unalloyed titanium grades. The four grade numbers (30, 40, 55, 70) refer to the approximate minimum yield strengths for each grade. The different grades are characterized by differences in oxygen levels. These titanium grades may be produced by single melt electron beam (EB) processing, or in a multiple melting practice with a final vacuum arc remelting (VAR) processing step. This datasheet provides information on composition, physical properties, and tensile properties. It also includes information on high temperature performance and corrosion resistance as well as forming, heat treating, machining, and joining. Filing Code: Ti-163. Producer or source: ATI.