Polystyrene processes, expandable

Polystyrene. There are two types of expandable polystyrene processes expandable polystyrene for molded articles and expandable polystyrene for loose-fill packing materials. 

Most expandable polystyrene processes involve aqueous suspension systems in which pentane fractions of petroleum are introduced before, during, or after polymerization of styrene. Water-free systems may also be used. Particle size is controlled by suspension polymerization or by chopping fine filaments. The quenched pellet process for expandable polystyrene can consume off-size particles and is a convenient way to add colorants and cell-nucleating additives. 

Figure 8.2 Expandable polystyrene process line starts with preexpanding the PS beads...

Expandable polystyrene process line starts with... 

Steam-Chest Expansion. In steam-chest expansion the resin beads in which gas is already present are poured into molds into which steam is injected. The steam increases the temperature close to the melting point and expands within the stmcture to create beads with food cushioning and insulating properties. Expanded polystyrene is widely used in this process for thermal insulation of frozen food packaging. 

Polystyrene is now available in certain forms in which the properties of the product are distinctly different from those of the parent polymer. Of these by far the most important is expanded polystyrene, an extremely valuable insulating material now available in densities as low as 1 Ib/ft (16kg/m ). A number of processes have been described in the literature for the manufacture of the cellular product of which four are of particular interest in the manufacture of large slabs. 

The Dow Log Process. Polystyrene is blended with a low boiling chlorinated hydrocarbon and extruded. The solvent volatilises as the blend emerges from the die and the mass expands. This process is still used to some extent. 

One alternative approach to the two-stage steam moulding process is that in which impregnated beads are fed directly to an injection moulding machine or extruder so that expansion and consolidation occur simultaneously. This approach has been used to produce expanded polystyrene sheet and paper by a tubular process reminiscent of that used with polyethylene. Bubble nucleating... 

Foamed polystyrene - which is also known as expanded polystyrene - is used extensively in a variety of applications, ranging from packaging peanuts to insulation board and single-use cups and plates. We produce it by two processes foam extrusion and bead expansion. Both types of expanded polystyrene consist of closed cells, i.e., bubbles with continuous walls. We can visually distinguish the two types of foam by the fact that products made by the expanded bead process consist of discrete beads that are welded together... 

The real-word case study considered here is the production of expandable polystyrene (EPS). Ten types of EPS are produced according to ten different recipes on a multiproduct plant which is essentially operated in batch mode. In this section, the multiproduct plant, the production process and the scheduling problem are presented. 

The plant is used to produce type A and type B of the polymer expandable polystyrene (EPS) in F = 5 grain size fractions each from a number of raw materials ( ). The availability of raw materials and the product storage capacity are assumed to be unlimited. The preparation stage is not limiting the production process... 

The process is commonly used to mould expandable polystyrene (EPS) that is delivered containing some percentage of pentane as the blowing agent. The moulding needs three steps ... 

While unaffected by water, styrofoam is dissolved by many organic solvents and is unsuitable for high-temperature applications because its heat-distortion temperature is around 77°C. Molded styrofoam objects are produced commercially from expandable polystyrene beads, but this process does not appear attractive for laboratory applications because polyurethane foams are much easier to foam in place. However, extruded polystyrene foam is available in slabs and boards which may be sawed, carved, or sanded into desired shapes and may be cemented. It is generally undesirable to join expanded polystyrene parts with cements that contain solvents which will dissolve the plastic and thus cause collapse of the cellular structure. This excludes from use a large number of cements which contain volatile aromatic hydrocarbons, ketones, or esters. Some suitable cements are room-temperature-vulcanizing silicone rubber (see below) and solvent-free epoxy cements. When a strong bond is not necessary, polyvinyl-acetate emulsion (Elmer s Glue-All) will work. 

Polymerization of Styrene Solutions of Volatile Hydrocarbons. Addition of Hydrocarbon before Polymerization. Bulk Polymerization. Expandable polystyrene was prepared inadvertently in 1945 in an attempt to bulk copolymerize 10% isobutylene with styrene. The product formed a low density foam when heated (96). An early method (1950) for rendering polystyrene expandable by petroleum ether was to dissolve 6 parts of petroleum ether in a 40% solution of polystyrene in benzoyl peroxide-catalyzed styrene and to hold the mass for 28 days at 32 °C. (124). In a recent version of this process, the monomer (chlorostyrene) and blowing agent (trichlorofluoromethane) in a poly (vinyl fluoride) bag were irradiated with y-rays (105). 

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