Filler China clay

This term is applied to a wide variety of materials known chemically as hydrated aluminium silicates, used as inorganic fillers. China clay (kaolin) shows a slight reinforcing effect treated clays show considerably greater reinforcement. 

The proven compounding practice for the natural rubber layer is to load it with 30 phr of graphite, 30 phr of semi-reinforcing carbon black filler and 50 phr of inert filler, china clay. A low sulfur curing system is adopted for heat resistance with a suitable antioxidant to prevent flex-cracking. A typical chlorine resistant soft natural rubber compound formula is given in Table 3.2. 

Particulate fillers are divided into two types, inert fillers and reinforcing fillers. The term inert filler is something of a misnomer as many properties may be affected by incorporation of such a filler. For example, in a plasticised PVC compound the addition of an inert filler will reduce die swell on extrusion, increase modulus and hardness, may provide a white base for colouring, improve electrical insulation properties and reduce tackiness. Inert fillers will also usually substantially reduce the cost of the compound. Amongst the fillers used are calcium carbonates, china clay, talc, and barium sulphate. For normal uses such fillers should be quite insoluble in any liquids with which the polymer compound is liable to come into contact. 

For electrical insulation china clay is commonly employed whilst various calcium carbonates (whiting, ground limestone, precipitated calcium carbonate, and coated calcium carbonate) are used for general purpose work. Also occasionally employed are talc, light magnesium carbonate, barytes (barium sulphate) and the silicas and silicates. For flooring applications asbestos has been an important filler. The effect of fillers on some properties of plasticised PVC are shown in Figure 12.21 (a-d). 

Fillers are often employed to reduce the surface tack of the final product. Examples are talc and china clay. If powdered materials are added directly to a latex they compete for the emulsion stabiliser present and tend to coagulate the latex. They are therefore added as an aqueous dispersion prepared by ball milling the filler with water and a dispersing agent, for example a naphthalene formaldehyde sulphonate at a concentration of about 1% of the water content. Heat and light stabilisers which are solids must be added in the same way. 

Soon after World War II the hard thermoplastic floor tile was developed. These tiles use coumarone resins as a binder for the other ingredients, which may contain fibrous fillers such as asbestos, inert fillers such as china clay and softeners such as paraffin wax. 

Asbestos may be used for improved heat and chemical resistance and silica, mica and china clay for low water absorption grades. Iron-free mica powder is particularly useful where the best possible electrical insulation characteristics are required but because of the poor adhesion of resin to the mica it is usually used in conjunction with a fibrous material such as asbestos. Organic fillers are commonly used in a weight ratio of 1 1 with the resin and mineral fillers in the ratio 1.5 1. 

Many inert pigments (often known as fillers) are incorporated into paper in addition to the cellulosic fibres. They may be added to improve certain optical properties—in particular opacity and brightness—or simply as a cheap replacement for costly fibre. The two most common pigments are kaolin (china clay) and chalk (limestone), but talc and speciality pigments such as titanium dioxide are also used. The particle size for general purpose fillers is normally expressed as an equivalent spherical diameter (esd) and this is determined from sedimentation data. Values for the common paper-... 

Kaolinite is the main constituent in china clay used to make porcelain. The layers are largely held together by van der Waals forces. Bentonite is used in cosmetics, as a filler for soaps, and as a plasticizer, and it is used in drilling-muds as a suspension stabilizer. Bentonite and kaolinite clays are used, after treatment with sulfuric acid to create acidic surface sites, as petroleum cracking catalysts. Asbestos also has a layered structure (Section 12.13). 

Techniques and plants for polymerization have become more precise and specific but there is a possibility still that similar grades of the same material made in different units may differ in practice (in features such as the distribution of molecular weights, and colour). It will be appreciated too that many polymers and copolymers are used in combination with other substances— stabilizers, fillers, and miscellaneous additives—all of which (and especially those occurring naturally, like China clay and some types of plasticizer) may themselves differ appreciably from batch to batch. 

Fillers are relatively nonadhesive substances added to the adhesive formulation to improve its working properties, strength, permanence, or other qualities. The improvements resulting from the use of fillers are listed in Table 1.8. Fillers are also used to reduce material cost. By selective use of fillers, the properties of an adhesive can be changed significantly. Thermal expansion, electrical and thermal conduction, shrinkage, viscosity, and thermal resistance are only a few properties that can be modified by the use of fillers. Common fillers are wood flour, silica, alumina, titanium oxide, metal powders, china clay and earth, slate dust, and glass fibers. Some fillers may act as extenders. 

The variety of substances used as additives in polymers is considerable. For example, the fillers may include china clay, various forms of calcium carbonate, talc, silicas (diatomaceous silica), silicates, carbon black, etc. The impact modifiers typically include other polymers. Plasticizers include certain polymers with low (oligomers), dialkyl phthalates, dialkyl sebacates, chlorinated paraffin waxes, liquid paraffinic fractions, oil extracts, etc. Heat stabilizers include heavy metals salts such as basic lead carbonate, basic lead sulfate, dibasic lead phosphite (also acting as a light stabilizer), dibasic lead phthalate, stearates, ricinoleates, palmitates and octanoates of cadmium and barium, epoxide resins and oils, amines, diphenylurea, 2-phenylindole, aminocrotonates. The antioxidants include tris-nonyl phenyl phosphite, 2,6-di-ferf-butyl-p-cresol (BHT), octadecyl-3,5-di-terf-butyl-4-hydroxyhydrocinnamate, etc. The UV stabilizers include modified benzophenones and benzotriazoles. Processing lubricants include calcium stearate, stearic acid, lead stearate, various wax derivatives, glyceryl esters and long-chain acids. Fire retardants include antimony oxide, some pyrophosphates, etc. 

Films containing filler may have a substantially improved UV stability due to the addition of carbon black. It is also possible to produce films which will be biodegradable by the combined action of UV degradation and biodegradation. It was confirmed that china clay increases the degradation rate of polyolefins by consuming stabilizers and thus reducing polymer stability... 

Major components of the pressed powder blusher include the powder phase and binder (or oil) phase. Components of the powder phase include mineral powder fillers such as talc (a magnesium silicate), mica (a magnesium ahuninum silicate), sericite (a form of hydrated mica), and kaolin (known as China clay). Talc is the most popular of all fillers used, as it tends to be virtually transparent depending on the particle size, and it is very soft to the touch. Although mica is also used extensively as a result of its transparency and smooth texture, it often exhibits a shiny appearance with skin application and has poor compression characteristics when used in a pressed powder. Modern non-oil control formulations rarely contain kaolin, as it tends to exhibit course texture, an extremely matte appearance, and excessive oil-absorption capabilities. Dry binders are also used to allow tlie compressed powder to retain form these include metallic soaps such as zinc stearate and magnesium stearate and... 

Kaolin A fine clay (China clay essentially a hydrated aluminum silicate). Common usages include porcelain, ceramics, heat-resistant mortar, clarifying liquids, drying and emollient agents, and as filler or coating for paper and textiles. 

Fillers are added to the elastomer in order to add bulk, lower cost and/or to improve physical properties such as hardness, strength and abrasion resistance. Typical fillers are materials such as carbon black, talc, china clay and whiting. Carbon black has been shown to contain polynuclear aromatics (PNAs) and there is concern regarding their carcinogenicity (Lee and Hites, 1976). However, despite extra controls there has been a move away from the use of carbon black as a filler in applications involving the primary packaging of parenterals. Its use continues as a pigment or colourant in rubber formulations but at substantially lower levels than that as a filler. 

Fillers in Thermosets and Rubber. Thermosets such as phenolformalde-hyde, melamineformaldehyde, and ureaformaldehyde resins are filled with wood flour, a-cellulose, or paper to add bulk, prevent cracking, and reduce cost. Asbestos imparts heat resistance, mica gives excellent electrical properties, aluminum powder improves heat transfer, and powdered silica or china clay reduces water absorption. 

Additions of chalk or china clay will increase the amount of colourant required to produce a particular shade. How much filler can be added will depend upon the physical characteristics required of the paper, and the likely increase in cost. Certain deep shades cannot be economically produced if filler content exceeds 10%. 

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