End Uses

Polymer scientists and engineers have developed a wide variety of processes by which to convert polypropylene into useable articles. These processes indude fiber-spinning, production of melt blown and spun bond non-woven fabrics, film production, blow molding, and injection molding. The following sections describe these processes and the resulting properties of the product as a function of the process. 

2 Meit-Blown and Spun-Bond Non-Woven Fabrics 

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In the future it will be difficult to avoid deterioration of certain characteristics such as viscosity, asphaltene and sediment contents, and cetane number. The users must employ more sophisticated technological means to obtain acceptable performance. Another approach could be to diversify the formulation of heavy fuel according to end use. Certain consuming plants require very high quality fuels while others can accept a lower quality. 

Conversion Processes that generate new molecules having properties adapted to the product s end use. 

Next the crude is distilled into well defined fractions according to their end uses. 

The products could be classified as a function of various criteria physical properties (in particular, volatility), the way they are created (primary distillation or conversion). Nevertheless, the classification most relevant to this discussion is linked to the end product use LPG, premium gasoline, kerosene and diesel oil, medium and heavy fuels, specialty products like solvents, lubricants, and asphalts. Indeed, the product specifications are generally related to the end use. Traditionally, they have to do with specific properties octane number for premium gasoline, cetane number for diesel oil as well as overall physical properties such as density, distillation curves and viscosity. 

Product characterization aims at defining their end-use properties by means of conventional standard measurements related as well as possible — and in any case, being the object of a large consensus— to end-use properties. We cite for example that octane numbers are supposed to represent the resistance of gasoline to knocking in ignition engines. 

However, this conventional method presents a certain number of limitations. In the first place, the traditional end-use property itself can be difficult to determine. Consider the cetane number for example is it a good characterization of diesel fuel with respect to its behavior in commercial diesel engines In the second place, concern for protecting the environment imposes new specifications which are often specifications linked to the composition of products very low content of certain contaminants, reduced levels of certain families of compounds, or even a specific compound as already discussed. 

Some details of END using a multiconfigurational electronic wave function with a complete active space (CASMC) have been introduced in terms of an orthonormal basis and for a fixed nuclear framework [25], and were recently [26] discussed in some detail for a nonoithogonal basis with electron translation factors. 

Analogous intei-polation procedures involving higher numbers of sampling points than the two ends used in the above example provide higher-order approximations for unknown functions over one-dimensiona elements. The method can also be extended to two- and three-dimensional elements. In general, an interpolated function over a multi-dimensional element Q is expressed as... 

The principal end use of acetic acid is m the production of vinyl acetate for paints and adhesives... 

Data processing. Once information is obtained with an appropriate data system, the information must be interpreted appropriately for the end use. Data processing involves the steps leading to this end use data processing does not necessarily imply application of modem computer techniques. 

Plywood requirements—includes wood species used, synthetic repair requirements, veneer grades, veneer layers and thicknesses, panel grades with respect to end-use, adhesive bond requirements, panel constmetion and workmanship, scarf and finger-jointed panels, dimensional tolerances, moisture content, and packaging and loading... 

World consumption data by end use in 1987 are shown in Table 8 (39). Solvent appHcations account for the largest use of acetone worldwide, followed by production of acetone cyanohydrin for conversion to methacrylates. Aldol chemicals are derivatives of acetone used mainly as solvents (40). 

Acrylics. Acetone is converted via the intermediate acetone cyanohydrin to the monomer methyl methacrylate (MMA) [80-62-6]. The MMA is polymerized to poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) to make the familiar clear acryUc sheet. PMMA is also used in mol ding and extmsion powders. Hydrolysis of acetone cyanohydrin gives methacrylic acid (MAA), a monomer which goes direcdy into acryUc latexes, carboxylated styrene—butadiene polymers, or ethylene—MAA ionomers. As part of the methacrylic stmcture, acetone is found in the following major end use products acryUc sheet mol ding resins, impact modifiers and processing aids, acryUc film, ABS and polyester resin modifiers, surface coatings, acryUc lacquers, emulsion polymers, petroleum chemicals, and various copolymers (see METHACRYLIC ACID AND DERIVATIVES METHACRYLIC POLYMERS). 

Synthetic emulsion polymers account for approximately 70% of the U.S. consumption of acrylate monomers. Major end uses for these latex polymers are coatings (32%), textiles (17%), adhesives (7%), paper (5%), and floor poHshes (3%). The U.S. producers of acryflc copolymer emulsions include Rohm and Haas, Reichhold, National Starch, Union Carbide, Air Products, Unocal, B. F. Goodrich, and H. B. Fuller. 

Solution polymers are the second most important use for acryflc monomers, accounting for about 12% of the monomer consumption. The major end use for these polymers is in coatings, primarily industrial finishes. Other uses of acryflc monomers include graft copolymers, suspension polymers, and radiation curable inks and coatings. 

As binders for fiherfill and nonwovens, the emulsions are applied to a loose web or mat, then heated to form a film that sticks the loose fibers together. Polyester (188—191), glass (192), and rayon (193) mats are bonded in this manner for a variety of end uses including quilting, clothing, disposable diapers and towels, filters, and roofing (see Nonwoven fabrics). 

Acryhc and modacryhc fibers are sold mainly as staple and tow products with small amounts of continuous filament fiber sold in Europe and Japan. Staple lengths may vary from 25 to 150 mm, depending on the end use. Eiber deniers may vary from 1.3 to 17 dtex (1.2 to 15 den) 3.2 dtex (3.0 den) is the standard form. The appearance of acryhcs under microscopical examination may differ from that of modacryhcs in two respects. Eirst, the cross sections (Eig. 1) of acryhcs are generally round, bean-shaped, or dogbone-shaped. The modacryhcs, on the other hand, vary from irregularly round to ribbon-like. The modacryhcs may also contain pigment-like particles of antimony oxide to enhance their flame-retardant properties. 

More recentiy, melt-spun biconstituent sheath—core elastic fibers have been commercialized. They normally consist of a hard fiber sheath (polyamide or polyester) along with a segmented polyurethane core polymer (11,12). Kanebo Ltd. in Japan currentiy produces a biconstituent fiber for hosiery end uses called Sideria. 

Mechanical Properties. Polyester fibers are formed by melt spinning generally followed by hot drawing and heat setting to the final fiber form. The molecular orientation and crystalline fine stmcture developed depend on key process parameters in all fiber formation steps and are critical to the end use appHcation of the fibers. 

The original yams were marketed as silk substitutes for use in apparel, hosiery, lace, home furnishings, ribbons, braids, and in a whole range of fabrics using blends with cotton or wool yams. As the end uses expanded beyond silk replacement, the harsh metallic luster of the yam proved disadvantageous and dull "matt" fibers had to be developed. Oil dulling was invented (11) in 1926, and an improved method using titanium dioxide was developed (12) in 1929. 

Again, irrespective of the hardware the chemistry is consistent. The partially regenerated fiber from the spinning machine is contaminated with sulfuric acid, 2inc sulfate, sodium sulfate, carbon disulfide, and the numerous incompletely decomposed by-products of the xanthation reactions. The washing and drying systems must yield a pure cellulose fiber, suitably lubricated for the end use, and dried to a moisture level of around 10%. 

High Tena.city Sta.ple Fibers. When stronger staple fibers became marketable, the tire yam processes were adapted to suit the high productivity staple fiber processes. Improved staple fibers use a variant of the mixed modifier approach to reach 0.26 N /tex (3 gf/den). The full 0.4 N /tex (4.5 gf/den) potential of the chemistry is uimecessary for the target end uses and difficult to achieve on the regular staple production systems. 

The properties of fillers which induence a given end use are many. The overall value of a filler is a complex function of intrinsic material characteristics, eg, tme density, melting point, crystal habit, and chemical composition and of process-dependent factors, eg, particle-si2e distribution, surface chemistry, purity, and bulk density. Fillers impart performance or economic value to the compositions of which they are part. These values, often called functional properties, vary according to the nature of the appHcation. A quantification of the functional properties per unit cost in many cases provides a vaUd criterion for filler comparison and selection. The following are summaries of key filler properties and values. 

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