Candidate materials

Excellent insulating properties, along with the abiUty to be stmctural components, make plastics the ideal candidate materials for electrical appHcations. Although generally used as insulators, carbon black or carbon fiber can be added to make plastic materials electrically conductive, thereby expanding their usefulness in the electronics area. 

BiaxiaHy orieated PPS film is transpareat and nearly colorless. It has low permeability to water vapor, carbon dioxide, and oxygen. PPS film has a low coefficient of hygroscopic expansion and a low dissipation factor, making it a candidate material for information storage devices and for thin-film capacitors. Chemical and thermal stability of PPS film derives from inherent resia properties. PPS films exposed to tolueae or chloroform for 8 weeks retaia 75% of theh original streagth. The UL temperature iadex rating of PPS film is 160°C for mechanical appHcatioas and 180°C for electrical appHcations. Table 9 summarizes the properties of PPS film. 

Electronic and Optoelectronic Applications of TeUurides. Most metal teUurides are semiconductors with a large range of energy gaps and can be used in a variety of electrical and optoelectronic devices. AUoys of the form HgCdTe and PbSnTe have been used as infrared detectors and CdTe has been employed as a gamma ray detector and is also a promising candidate material for a thin-fUm solar ceU. 

Sihcon carbide is also a prime candidate material for high temperature fibers (qv). These fibers are produced by three main approaches polymer pyrolysis, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and sintering. Whereas fiber from the former two approaches are already available as commercial products, the sintered SiC fiber is still under development. Because of its relatively simple process, the sintered a-SiC fiber approach offers the potential of high performance and extreme temperature stabiUty at a relatively low cost. A comparison of the manufacturing methods and properties of various SiC fibers is presented in Table 4 (121,122). 

Giaphite with its exceptional strength and thermal stabiUty at high temperatures is a prime candidate material for many aerospace and nuclear appHcations. Its properties, through process modifications, are tailorable to meet an array of design criteria for survival under extremely harsh environmental operations. 

Ceramic matrix composites are candidate materials for high temperature stmctural appHcations. Ceramic matrices with properties of high strength, hardness, and thermal and chemical stabiUty coupled with low density are reinforced with ceramic second phases that impart the high toughness and damage tolerance which is required of such stmctural materials. The varieties of reinforcements include particles, platelets, whiskers and continuous fibers. Placement of reinforcements within the matrix determines the isotropy of the composite properties. 

The biggest potential weight saving, however, is in the body panels, which make up 60% of the weight of the vehicle. Here the choice is more difficult. Candidate materials are given in Table 27.3. 

Table 2.2 lists the energies and line-widths of the characteristic X-ray lines from a few possible candidate materials. In practice Mg Ka and A1 Ka are the two used universally because of their line energy and width and their simple use as anode material. 

Applied Sciences, Inc. has, in the past few years, used the fixed catalyst fiber to fabricate and analyze VGCF-reinforced composites which could be candidate materials for thermal management substrates in high density, high power electronic devices and space power system radiator fins and high performance applications such as plasma facing components in experimental nuclear fusion reactors. These composites include carbon/carbon (CC) composites, polymer matrix composites, and metal matrix composites (MMC). Measurements have been made of thermal conductivity, coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), tensile strength, and tensile modulus. Representative results are described below. 

The first and most important steps in the design process are to define clearly the purpose and function of the proposed product and to identify the service environment. Then one has to assess the suitability of a range of candidate materials. The following are generally regarded as the most important characteristics requiring consideration for most engineering components. 

If in the service of a component it is the deflection, or stiffness, which is the limiting factor rather than strength, then it is necessary to look for a different desirability factor in the candidate materials. Consider the beam sim-ation described above. This time, irrespective of the loading, the deflection, S,... 

Table 7-4a Properties of Candidate Materials (U. S. Standard Units)...

Availability of Materials. Availability of the candidate material is a very essential consideration in the decision-making process. There is no sense in specifying the use of a particular material if it cannot be obtained within the time constraints of the project. It is also advisable to select materials that are available from more than one supplier. If proprietary materials that are only available from one supplier are used, one can become a captive customer at the mercy of the supplier on cost and delivery. 

The principal corrosive species as described in Section 53.1.2, combined with the reducing or oxidizing nature of the environment, can be used to select candidate materials for any aqueous system. The process variables discussed in Section 53.3.5 must also be considered. 

The goal in this section is to show the possibility of material design based on an insertion scheme for lithium-ion batteries. In Sec. 2.2 candidate materials for ad-... 

In this section candidate materials for the positive electrodes of lithium-ion batteries... 

Another factor to consider in the early stages of design is material selection in relation to cost per volume rather than by weight. This subject volume vs. weight will be reviewed latter in this chapter entitled Analysis Method. Since the material value in a plastic product is usually over one-half of its overall cost, it becomes important to select a candidate material with extraordinary care. 

The problem of acquiring complete knowledge of candidate material grades should be resolved in cooperation with the raw material suppliers. It should be recognized that selection of the favorable materials is one of the basic elements in a successful product-configuration design, material selection, and conversion into a finished product (Appendix A PLASTICS DESIGN TOOLBOX). 

Preliminary consideration of candidate materials, processes and tooling factors, configuration, thicknesses in section, ribs, bosses, holes, surface characteristics, color, graphics, decoration, and assembly methods will begin to impose some discipline on the product design as it evolves. In the middle and latter phases of the design cycle, two or three concepts should make their validity apparent to all involved. With luck (logic), one will... 

The first interactive electronic encyclopedia for users of plastics, materials selection is carried out using 3 search routines. The Chemical Resistance Search eliminates materials that cannot meet user specified chemical resistance requirements. The other search routines ( Elimination and Combined Weighting ) eliminate candidate materials based on 72 properties, falling within one of the following groups General and Electrical, Mechanical, Cost Factors, Production Methods and Post Processing. All data is evaluated and based on independent tests conducted in RAPRA s laboratories. 

---