Today's KNOWLEDGE Share:PU Memory Foam

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share:

In general, flexible PU foams that slowly return to their original state are called memory foam or LR (low resilience) foam.

To achieve this feature, the following should be considered.

1- Basic polyols: The correct choice of basic polyols is one of the most critical factors. At least two types of polyol should be used in this PU foam.

One of them should have a low OH value (20-30) and high Mw (6000-7000), and on the other hand, the second one should have a higher OH value (200-300) and lower Mw (500-800) to increase the recovery time. Also, you can use POP to adjust stiffness and flexibility.

2- Silicone/cell opener: PU memory foams have pneumatic properties. In order to create this feature, cell membranes do not have to be fully open, so air can flow in cells slowly.

3- Catalysts: as everyone knows, we need to balance gelling and blowing reactions in PU foams. In addition, air pressure should be controlled by catalysts.

4- Isocyanate: to synthesize PU memory foams, the isocyanate should be modified by 2 conventional base polyols like number 1.

5- Blowing agent: Water as a chemical blowing agent has an important role in viscoelastic properties. In this type of PU foam, water should not be high in the formula because the cells have not been large and fully open.

Source:Behzad Afrasan

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#polymers #polyol #pufoams #blowingagent

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share:Carbon Fiber Chasis

 Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

A carbon fiber chassis for your dream build! 

Leading advanced engineering company Dash with its DNA derived from F1 technology has launched a ground-breaking new carbon monocoque chassis, the TR01! 

Delivering a step change in price to performance ratio, it will enable exciting projects in the growing performance automotive and motorsport industries as an affordable and versatile solution for hypercar, supercar, and motorsport projects.

Dash developed the TR01 chassis to fulfil an unaddressed market need for an affordable high-performance 'off-the-shelf' carbon fibre monocoque chassis. As a large, single carbon component, chassis manufacture is incredibly challenging – particularly when performance, quality, and consistency are concerned. Given the substantial growth of the hypercar market as well as motorsport demands for more affordable monocoques, the TR01 offers a compelling ‘off-the-shelf’ solution. 

The TR01 is suitable for any two-seat vehicle requiring a lightweight and stiff carbon monocoque and, although predominantly standardised, can be adapted to customer requirements. It offers a stiffness of 35,000Nm/Deg, weighs only 50 kilograms, and is priced under £30,000 – around 50% less than those currently available. 

Source:#Managingcomposites

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#composites #carbonfiber #autmotive #chasis #DASH

Toray Advanced Materials to spur carbon fiber production in Korea

#Toray Advanced Materials Korea Inc. (TAK) broke ground on its new facility for carbon fiber production in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province on Monday, the South Korean subsidiary of Japanese chemical giant Toray Group said.Carbon fiber is used to make various products like high pressure vessels for hydrogen, aircraft parts, racing car bodies and golf club shafts.

The new facility, which is TAK’s third unit for carbon fiber production, will increase the annual manufacturing capacity in Korea by 3,300 tons to 8,000 tons.TAK produces special materials like films for industrial applications, carbon fibers, water treatment filters and resin chemicals. It began operating the first unit of carbon fiber production in 2013.

Established in 1972, TAK has invested more than $1 billion in #manufacturing materials like engineering plastics, wallpapers and car dash pads.

The company expects the demand for #carbonfiber to grow, enabling lightweight hydrogen vehicles and aircraft, thus reducing carbon emissions.

Among attendees at the groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 23 were Deputy Minister for Trade Yang Byeong-nae, North Gyeongsang Province Governor Lee Cheol-woo, Gumi Mayor Kim Jangho, Japan’s Toray Industries Inc. Chairman Nikkaku Akihiro and President and CEO Ohya Mitsuo, TAK Chairman Lee Young-kwan and CEO Jeon Hae-sang.

The government will continue to support foreign investments in #Korea’s high-tech industry through regulatory reforms and expanded incentives, said Deputy Minister Yang.

TAK will create values with the world-class technologies and qualities, while closely cooperating with partners and contributing to local economic revitalization, said CEO Jeon.

Source:kedglobal.com

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SEGULA develops zero-waste technologies to produce sustainable carbon composites

SEGULA Technologies has set up the Z-WasTEK project with the aim of developing technologies for producing sustainable #carboncomposites.

Currently, parts made from composite materials have one major drawback: they are difficult to recycle and repair. The Z-WasTEK project, subsidised by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Basque Government, addresses this problem by combining the use of a “3R” resin (which enables materials to be reprocessed, repaired and recycled) and the development of digital programmes to define the best way of repairing parts.

For #SEGULA, the project consists of two main points: firstly, the design of software for inspecting curved parts through the acquisition, management and interpretation of sensors. By performing a high-precision scan on curved parts, this software makes it possible to obtain information on points showing cracks and, after repair, to check whether the finish is correct.

SEGULA has also developed a 3R #composite repair technology based on the creation of a digital twin. By capturing information about a part, the simulation (digital twin) makes it possible to define the best action for repairing it with 3R resin.

By acting locally and specifically, the system developed guarantees not only repair, but also the responsible use of materials and a reduction in the time and cost of materials.

The project’s main points of innovation are as follows:

– The development and optimisation of a competitive and sustainable repair process for damaged composite parts.

– The development and optimisation of a process for upgrading raw materials from production waste to recover both the 3R resin and the composite’s load-bearing capacity with the same initial quality at a competitive cost.

– The development of new high-performance, more durable and competitive 3R (removable, repairable and recyclable) composites based on high-quality upgraded carbon fibres.

The project supports the #circulareconomy and the use of low-impact, environmentally #sustainablematerials.

This cutting-edge technology covers a wide range of applications and can be used in mobility sectors such as aeronautics, automotive and rail.

Source:segulatechnologies.com/jeccomposites.com

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Today's KNOWLEDGE Share:Melt Flow Index

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Be very cautious when using Melt Flow Index for material comparison in Injection Molding.

MFI is actually measuring a very low shear-rate viscosity and when comparing two materials, you are not even comparing at same shear-rate (the test is constant load based). If shear-thinning is very different, moldability may be completely off from apparent MFI related conclusions (see picture).

The normalized very short dies used for MFI also lead to a very significant contribution of extensional viscosity to MFI values, which doesn't really help either...

When it comes to Injection Molding, make sure you have a comprehensive set of data describing shear viscosity vs. shear-rate and temperature. Entrance effects in capillary tests may also inform you about extensional viscosity importance.

Source:Vito leo

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#plastics #injectionmolding #plasticindustry #sherarviscosity #meltflowindex

Researchers Unveil the Potential of Cocoa Pod Husks as Flame-retardant Material

Millions of cocoa pods are harvested annually, while the beans and pulp go to make chocolate, their husks are thrown away.

Researchers reporting in ACS #SustainableChemistry & Engineering show that cocoa pod husks could be a useful starting material for #flameretardants.

Renewable Replacement for Petroleum-based Substances:

It’s estimated that about 24 million tons of leftover cocoa pod husks are produced yearly. #Wastehusks have been explored as a source of carbohydrates and sugars, but they also contain lignin, a tough #lipidpolymer found in many #woodyplants.

And lignin could be a renewable replacement for some substances typically derived from petroleum, such as flame retardants. While most methods to produce lignin have centered on hardwood trees, some scientists have processed other plant materials that would otherwise go to waste, such as rice husks and pomegranate peels.

Nicholas J. Westwood and coworkers wanted to see if high-quality lignin could be extracted from cocoa pod husks and determine whether it has the potential to make valuable, practical materials. The researchers obtained cocoa husks and milled them into a powder. After rinsing to remove fatty residues, they boiled the powdered husks in a mixture of #butanol and acid, a standard lignin extraction method called the butanosolv process. They next confirmed the isolated lignin’s quality and high purity, finding no evidence of carbohydrates or other contaminants.

Then, over the course of three chemical steps, the team modified the pure lignin biopolymer to have flame-retardant properties. They attached 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide, which is a fire suppressant molecule called DOPO, into the backbone of the #lignin polymer. In experiments, when the modified lignin was heated, it charred — but did not burn up — a sign that it could act as a flame retardant. The researchers recognize that human safety tests are important and plan to conduct them after the next phase of testing. In the future, the researchers say they will optimize the properties of their #cocoapodhusk-based flame-retardant materials.

Source: American Chemical Society/specialchem

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Today's KNOWLEDGE Share:Lithium Ion Battery

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Lithium Ion Battery

Do we need to depend on Lithium-ion batteries for Electric vehicles for a decade or more?

Climate changes have happened rapidly throughout many regions in the recent decade. On one side the deforestation takes place steadily in many regions and the natural resources are draining out a lot. Each country is losing its share of forest land every year drastically.

On the other side, the sudden interest among Electric vehicle manufacturers made the world depend on lithium-ion batteries more than expected a decade ago.

Some EV manufacturers are holding licenses for such minerals in the US for the lithium extraction for the Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery cells. The world needs many materials for the production of an EV battery. Mining and deforestation happen at the same time everywhere that is not safe for the environment that we humans aim to create for future generations.

Mining at depth will make the earth weaken as well as the water gets toxic too. Toxic rain will be the result.

Don't we have any other alternative?

Magnesium-based and sodium ion-based batteries the EV manufacturers can aim for the progress in that line and also witnessing the good results in the recent days.

Mining project numbers are increasing and the largest corporations are aiming to mint the money in the name of an alternate vehicle market. There is a strict and combined regulation the Energy associations must create as early as possible to avoid the blame game of each technology.

The more we destroy our soil and trees, the more we get unhealthy in the coming days, which is not a good sign for a healthy environment. We should not switch all of a sudden on one technology that seems to create more pain for humans in the days to come. China is supplying most of the minerals to the EV battery manufacturers today and the country is losing its beauty so we shouldn't forget it.

Despite depending on Electric vehicles, it is time to invest in more sustainable projects such as Green Hydrogen/Solid Hydrogen/Green Ammonia/LNG/Methanol, etc for a better alternative fuel market.

It is time to think about our future rather than the present comfortable life.

Let's hear the workable road map on this topic. Share your comments if possible so that we can make a better world for sure.

Muthuramalingam Krishnan

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