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Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) fibers with a high amount of phase crystal structure were prepared by melt spinning. With this technique, the cold drawing process is critical and efficient when aiming for a high amount of phase. During the cold drawing process, more than 80% of the originally formed phase crystal structure was converted into the phase structure. In addition, the incorporation of 0.01 wt % of amino-modified double wall carbon nanotube (NH2-DWCNT) could further enhance the phase content in the PVDF fibers. FTIR and DSC studies showed that the addition of NH2-DWCNT to PVDF fibers could increase both the total crystallinity and phase fraction in PVDF. The addition of nanoclay was found to be less efficient in this respect

Surface defects associated with manufacturing processes can severely impair the appearance of polymeric products. These defects can be enhanced with ageing (time, UV-light, heat and weather conditions). In the present contribution, the interest is focused on the defects generated during injection molding of elastomer-modified polymers that are often used in the automotive sector to produce interior and exterior components. In particular, defects denoted as “flow marks” or “tiger stripes” were investigated. Two different grades of elastomer-modified polypropylene (PP)-containing mineral fillers were studied here before and after heat ageing for 9 weeks at a constant temperature of 95°C. Although injection moldings are one of the grades that did not exhibit any flow marks, moldings of other PP-grade showed such defects and they were enhanced after the ageing process. The properties and structure of the glossy and the dull bands (as well as the effect of the thermal ageing) have been assessed by several characteristics such as microhardness, nanohardness, crystallinity, and surface composition. An increase in surface hardness was noted after the ageing treatment as a consequence of increased crystallinity. Dull and glossy bands also exhibited different values of the nanohardness, glossy bands were harder, and the dull bands appeared to be less crystalline. The surface composition of glossy and dull regions was slightly different; the surface regions of the glossy areas contained higher amounts of filler particles. The effect of the ageing on the striped appearance is furthermore discussed in relation to possible depletion of the stabilizer system. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012

Melt spinning of conductive polymer composites (CPCs) is coupled with some difficulties such as a decrease of conductivity upon drawing and a reduced spinnability with increasing filler concentration. Applying bicomponent technology may provide the possibility to produce fibers from CPCs with a high filler concentration. A pilot-scale bicomponent melt spinning set-up was used to produce core/sheath fibers with fiber titers between 13 and 47 dtex. The sheath material was polyamide 6 (PA6) or polypropylene (PP) and the core material was a CPC. Two CPCs were used, polypropylene (PP) with carbon black (CB), denoted by PP/CB, and polyethylene (PE) with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT), denoted by PE/MWNT. The results showed that both materials could be used with a filler concentration of 10 wt % to obtain melt draw ratios up to 195. The volumetric fraction of core material in the bicomponent structure was 28%. A heat treatment of PP/CB fibers restored the conductivity to the level of the undrawn material, corresponding to an increase in conductivity by a factor 5. The same heat treatment had a positive effect on the conductivity of PE/MWNT fibers although the conductivity was not restored.

Fibers produced by melt spinning of conductive polymer composites are attractive for several applications; the main drawback is however reduced processability at high filler concentrations. Carbon ...

A premium appearance is essential for many polymeric products and for this reason surface defects associated with the manufacturing process, e.g. injection molding, are detrimental. In this study, the interest is focussed on defects arising during injection molding of such elastomer-modified polymers that are often used in the automotive sector to produce interior and exterior components. In particular, defects denoted as "flow marks" or "tiger stripes" were investigated. These defects appear on the surface of the injection-molded components, especially if long flow lengths are involved and consist of alternating glossy and dull bands. Here an attempt was made to elucidate to what extent some important rheological properties of the polymer melts influence the generation of such flow marks. Hence, the flow properties, mainly in shear; of three different grades of elastomermodified polypropylene containing mineral fillers were correlated to their propensity for defect generation. In summary, it was noted that a higher melt elasticity, as reflected in pressure losses during flow through a capillary, the degree of die swell and to some extent the dynamic-mechanical behavior, leads to less severe flow marks or retards the formation of such defects. Elongational draw-down experiments also indicated a more stable flow in the case of the melt that exhibited the highest elasticity. Furthermore, subjecting the measured flow behavior to a Mooney analysis, the results obtained pointed to that wall-slip in itself is not a primary cause for the appearance of the type of flow marks studied here. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Polypropylene (PP) or, in some cases, poly (lactic acid) (PLA) were compounded with cellulosic fibres. The amount of fibres used was in the range 10–30 vol % and, in case of PP, a series of compounds was prepared with a minor amount of maleated PP as a compatibiliser. This matrix was denoted MAPP. Before compounding the polymers and the fibres, undelaminated bentonite (industrial scale) or delaminated clay (nanoclay) was deposited on the fibres in different amounts to improve the dispersion of the fibres in the polymer matrix, i. e., to avoid detrimental fibre bundles. The PP-based compounds were either extruded or injection moulded, whereas the PLA-compounds were only injection moulded. The mechanical properties were primarily evaluated for the injection moulded specimens. In general, the fibres had a strong effect on the mechanical behaviour of the materials, especially in the case of PLA and MAPP. Treating the fibres with undelaminated clay or nanoclay improved to some extent the dispersion of the fibres and the mechanical performance of the composites, but further optimization of the function of the mineral in this respect is probably required. The combination of the mineral treatment with a debonding agent appeared to be an interesting route here. With such a combination, a visually very good dispersion of the fibres in the PP-based matrix could be obtained, partly at the expense of the mechanical performance. The compounding of the cellulosic fibres with PP led in this case to a marked decrease in the fibre length. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008

The influence of processing parameters such as screw geometry, temperature profile, and screw speed on the electrical properties of hybrid composites consisting of graphite nanoplatelets and carbon black in ethyl butyl acrylate was studied. Two different screws were used to compound the hybrid composites at two different temperatures and two different screw speeds. A beneficial effect was noted with regard to the electrical properties when adding nanoplatelets to the filler system. The cause could be a synergistic effect due to the difference in particle shape of the two fillers. Lower percolation thresholds were obtained with the conventional screw due to less breakage of the graphite nanoplatelets compared to the barrier screw. No significant changes of the electrical properties were observed when changing the temperature profiles or the screw speeds. Furthermore, the melt viscosity of the compounds was not appreciably affected at the rather low filler contents used here.

© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42255. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Melt spinning at semi-industrial conditions of carbon black (CB) containing textiles fibers with enhanced electrical conductivity suitable for heating applications is described. A conductive compound of CB and high density polyethylene (HDPE) was incorporated into the core of bi-component fibers which had a sheath of polyamide 6 (PA6). The rheological and fiber-forming properties of a low-structured and a high-structured CB/HDPE composite were compared in terms of their conductivity. The low-structured CB gave the best trade-off between processability and final conductivity. This was discussed in terms of the strength of the resulting percolated network of carbon particles and its effect on the spin line stability during melt spinning. The conductivity was found to be further enhanced with maintained mechanical properties by an in line thermal annealing of the fibers at temperatures in the vicinity of the melting point of HDPE. By an adequate choice of CB and annealing conditions a conductivity of 1.5 S/cm of the core material was obtained. The usefulness of the fibers for heating applications was demonstrated by means of a woven fabric containing the conductive fibers in the warp direction. By applying a voltage of 48 V the surface temperature of the fabric rose from 20 to 30°C.

The aim of this work is to evaluate routes to upgrade recycled engineering plastics, especially mixed plastics with acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene copolymers (ABS) as the major component. A core-shell impact modifier was successfully used to improve the impact strength of blends of ABS and ABS/polycarbonate (PC) blends recycled from the automotive industry. However, the presence of other immiscible components like polyamide (PA), even in small amounts, can lead to a deterioration in the overall properties of the blends. A styrene–maleic anhydride (SMA) copolymer and other commercial polymer blends were used to promote the compatibilization of ABS and PA. The core-shell impact modifier was again found to be an efficient additive with regard to the impact strength of the compatibilized ABS/PA blends. The results obtained with fresh material blends were quite promising. However, in blends of recycled ABS and glass-fiber-reinforced PA, the impact strength did not exhibit the desired behavior. The presence of poorly bonded glass fibers in the blend matrix was the probable reason for the poor impact strength compared with that of a blend of recycled ABS and mineral-filled PA. Although functionalized triblock rubbers (SEBS–MA) can substantially enhance the impact strength of PA, they did not improve the impact strength of ABS/PA blends because the miscibility with ABS is poor. The possibilities of using commercial polymer blends to compatibilize otherwise incompatible polymer mixtures were also explored giving promising results. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 2535–2543, 2002

The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the possibility of mechanically recycling blends of ABS with minor amounts of semicrystalline engineering plastics, such as polyamide, poly(ethylene terephthalate), and poly(butylene terephthalate). Compatibilizers and a core–shell impact modifier were incorporated into the blends in order to improve the mechanical properties. The toughness values, measured by the J-integral method, and the Charpy impact strength did not always exhibit consistent results, due to the significant difference in deformation rate and in fracture mechanism. The formation of co-continuous structures in the blends were noted and discussed. The fibrillation in the fracture surface contributed to the toughness as measured by the J-integral method. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 2435–2448, 2002

The influence on the adhesion to some metal surfaces and the damping properties of various modified styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene (SEBS) materials was evaluated. Modification of the different phases of the SEBS with resins was shown to have a large effect on the damping properties of the polymers, which were evaluated by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). A small amount of maleic anhydride grafted onto the EB block was found to lead to a significant improvement in the adhesion of the polymer to some metal surfaces without affecting the damping properties of the polymers. The results of the DMA tests on the polymers were used to calculate the composite loss factor (CLF) for a steel laminate, which consisted of two steel plates with a polymeric layer in between, according to the theory proposed by Ross, Ungar, and Kerwin. The calculated results were compared with the measured CLFs determined in vibrating beam tests (VBTs). The agreement between the calculated and measured values was quite fair, provided that the DMA values used for the calculations were recalculated to the actual higher frequencies used in the VBTs, using the time–temperature superposition principle. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 80: 2865–2876, 2001

The dynamic viscoelasticity was investigated for isoprene rubber (IR) composites filled with untreated and chemically treated cellulose fibers. Mercerization and benzylation were employed as chemical treatments. Bleached kraft pulp and cellulose powder were used as cellulose fillers. By mixing cellulose fillers, the dynamic modulus E′ of IR composites was improved, especially above the glass transition temperature. Benzylation of cellulose fibers reduced E′ of IR composite, while mercerization increased it. A tan δ peak was observed at about −33°C at 110 Hz along with a shoulder peak at about −16°C for the IR composites. The intensity of the tan δ peak decreased when mixed with cellulose fillers. The shoulder peak next to the main peak could be separated assuming a Gaussian type equation; log E″ = D exp { −C[(1sol;T) − (1/T0)]2} where D is the maximum value of log E″ vs. 1/T curve, T0 is the maximum temperature, and C is a parameter to determine the width of the Gaussian function. From the Arrhenius plot of the frequencies against 1/T0, the apparent activation energies were calculated as 220–235 kJ/mol for the shoulder peak (α1 process) and ca. 180 kJ/mol for the main peak (α2 process). The α2 process is caused by the glass transition of the rubber matrix. The α1 process is assigned as the molecular motion of the rubber matrix strongly restricted by the fiber element.

The dynamic-mechanical properties of high density polyethylene filled with 20% by volume of untreated glass spheres or glass spheres treated with a silane-based coupling agent were studied as a function of temperature and imposed tensile deformation. The coupling agent used is capable of providing covalent bonding between the polymeric matrix and the glass spheres. It is assumed that an interphase region is formed in the matrix around each filler particle with properties depending on the surface treatment of the filler, but different to that of the bulk matrix. It is shown how the mechanical loss factor can be used to characterize the properties of the interphase region and the degree of adhesion between the two phases, as affected by the surface treatment. We suggest that these kinds of measurements can be valuable when determining the effectiveness of various surface treatments of filler particles from a mechanical point of view.

High pressure injection molding of HDPE with relatively high molecular weight is known to give products with significantly increased modulus and strength. The extent of this improvement is reduced when the thickness of the molded sample increases. The present paper is an account of experiments with varying mold filling rates and gate geometries. After choosing proper gating and then optimizing the filling rate, thick samples with tensile moduli previously characteristic of thinner samples have been obtained. The modulus data are supplemented by measurements of the melting point of the normal and high-strength HDPE structures at different locations in the molded test bars. Corresponding crystallinity data are also included. The structure of the samples appears to provide some guidance in interpreting the observed modulus variations.

The mechanical properties of clay-based pigmented coating films bonded with a series of carboxylated styrene–butadiene latex binders have been investigated. The in-plane tensile strength and the elongation at rupture increased with increasing amount of polymeric binder. It is suggested that this is due to an improvement in stress transfer through the structure. The mechanical behavior of the films was furthermore found to be strongly related to the properties of the polymeric binder at the usage temperature. In torsional pendulum experiments an increase in the glass transition temperature of the polymeric binder was observed when it was incorporated in the coating film. This is interpreted as being the result of a decrease in the segmental mobility of the polymer molecules due to the presence of the clay particles, i.e., due to the interaction between the clay pigments and the binder. The interaction was, however, less noticeable in experiments using an NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) technique. If the clay was replaced by calcium carbonate, a strong interaction, as measured using NMR, was observed between CaCO3 and the styrene–butadiene polymer, although the in-plane mechanical strength and ductility were reduced. A structural model accounting for some of the observed differences in mechanical behavior between clay-based and CaCO3-based coating films is suggested.

Dry-formed networks of cellulose fibers, produced with a laboratory device, have been impregnated with aqueous solutions of poly(vinyl alcohol) or solutions of poly(vinyl acetate) in acetone. In both cases, the strength and stiffness of the networks increase several times compared with the unmodified structure. When aqueous solutions are used, it appears that a minimum amount of poly(vinyl alcohol) is required (ca. 2 wt %) to increase the strength appreciably, but when poly(vinyl acetate) dissolved in acetone is used, as a binder, the strength improves even at the lowest level of polymer addition. For the systems studied here, the elongation at rupture increased with increasing polymer concentration. In most cases, the amount of polymer in the network structure was less than 10 wt %. Some results from impregnations using other polymeric systems, e.g., latices, are also reported.

The mechanical properties, i.e., the tensile strength, tensile modulus, elongation at rupture, and tensile energy absorption (work of rupture), of a dry-formed network of cellulose fibers are shown to be substantially improved by impregnation of the network with organic solutions of poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAC). With the exception of the tensile strength, the improvement of the mechanical properties in the dry state is, however, dependent not only on the polymer content, but also on the interaction between the solvent and the cellulose fibers constituting the network. A solvent which interacts strongly with cellulose produces a stiffer and less ductile network than a more inert liquid. It is suggested that this effect is the result of a change in the cellulose network structure itself. The solvents used in this study were methanol, acetone, ethyl acetate, chloroform, and toluene.

The stress–relaxation behaviors of molybdenum (Mo) and polyethylene are compared, especially with regard to the role played by the internal stress level, in the relation F = 0.1(σ0 − σi). Here F is the maximum slope in the inflexion region of stress vs. In time curves (σ vs. ln t), σ0 is the initial stress, and σi is the internal (equilibrium) stress. Despite a significant difference in σi in the two materials, this relation was obeyed in both cases. The data for Mo are for room temperature and 90 K; those for low and high density polyethylene for room temperature only. Some of the data are reevaluated results of earlier measurements. The shape of the σi(ϵ) curves is reminiscent of the σ(ϵ) behavior for both Mo and polyethylene. The implications of the results for interpretation of the relaxation process in terms of current theoretical concepts is discussed.

During creep deformation many polymeric materials exhibit small cracklike zones, crazes. In the literature it is reported that crazing will not occur if the strain is kept under a critical value, specific for each material. This fact has importance in avoiding rupture. In this work a uniaxial theory is put forward that is based on a creep law describing the buildup of internal stress and on the Kachanov damage law. Crazing is here regarded to be a stage in the damage accumulation process, the final stage of which is rupture. Relations among the critical strain, the corresponding critical stress, and the minimum stress leading to creep rupture are derived. Some conditions that are necessary for the critical strain concept to work are formulated.

In dry-formed polymer-bonded networks of cellulose fibers and in other types of nonwovens, the fiber-polymer joint is considered to be the primary factor determining the ultimate properties of the network structure. In an attempt to develop a model describing the joint failure, the well-known fiber pullout test has been applied to a system consisting of regenerated cellulose fibers and three different polymer matrices: a styrene–acrylate copolymer, poly(vinyl alcohol), and high density polyethylene. For each system, the interfacial bond strength was evaluated. The results are, to some extent, discussed in relation to the mechanical behavior of dry-formed networks bonded with similar polymeric materials. It is suggested that both the interfacial properties and the cohesive strength of the polymer binder are of importance for the mechanical strength of the bonded network.

Sulfur- and peroxide-cured natural rubbers (NR) reinforced with short fibers of cellulose and carbon black have been studied with respect to water absorption, crosslink density, tensile strength, and the dependence of the dynamic storage modulus on strain amplitude. The results indicate that there is bonding between fiber and matrix even in the absence of a specific bonding system.