Fracture, Resins

Elastomeric Modified Adhesives. The major characteristic of the resins discussed above is that after cure, or after polymerization, they are extremely brittie. Thus, the utility of unmodified common resins as stmctural adhesives would be very limited. Eor highly cross-linked resin systems to be usehil stmctural adhesives, they have to be modified to ensure fracture resistance. Modification can be effected by the addition of an elastomer which is soluble within the cross-linked resin. Modification of a cross-linked resin in this fashion generally decreases the glass-transition temperature but increases the resin dexibiUty, and thus increases the fracture resistance of the cured adhesive. Recendy, stmctural adhesives have been modified by elastomers which are soluble within the uncured stmctural adhesive, but then phase separate during the cure to form a two-phase system. The matrix properties are mosdy retained the glass-transition temperature is only moderately affected by the presence of the elastomer, yet the fracture resistance is substantially improved. 

For primary insulation or cable jackets, high production rates are achieved by extmding a tube of resin with a larger internal diameter than the base wke and a thicker wall than the final insulation. The tube is then drawn down to the desked size. An operating temperature of 315—400°C is preferred, depending on holdup time. The surface roughness caused by melt fracture determines the upper limit of production rates under specific extmsion conditions (76). Corrosion-resistant metals should be used for all parts of the extmsion equipment that come in contact with the molten polymer (77). 

Extrusion. Like other thermoplastics. Teflon PEA resin exhibits melt fracture above certain critical shear rates. Eor example, samples at 372°C and 5-kg load show the following behavior ... 

At a holdup time longer than 10—15 min at a high temperature, resin degradation is avoided by keeping the rear of the cylinder at a lower temperature than the front. At short holdup times (4—5 min), cylinder temperatures are the same in rear and front. If melt fracture occurs, the injection rate is reduced pressures are in the range of 20.6—55.1 MPa (3000—8000 psi). Low backpressure and screw rotation rates should be used. 

Resins filled with ground limestone to levels of 80% by weight are useful in soHd cast products. The fillers reduce sensitivity to brittle fracture and improve modulus, but have Httle effect on general strength properties (Table 8). 

Corrosion attack on the polymer is influenced by permeation rate, as weU as internal stresses or fatigue, that distorts or fractures the resin glass fiber... 

Sticky waxes are generally composed of resins and wax. A high resin content gives viscosity to the melt, a long plastic range, and a brittle fracture when cooled. No modem formulas are available, but the older recipes usually had rosin, beeswax, and gum dammar as the essential constituents. 

Special-Purpose Resins, Repair Resins. Fractured acryflc dentures can be repaired with materials similar in composition to cold-cured denture resins. These materials generally cure more rapidly because of the relative simple manipulations involved. The process is quick and there is fltde dimensional change, but the strength of the repaired denture may be only half that of the original appliance (213). Test methods and requirements of these materials are given in ANSI/ADA specification no. 13 for denture cold-curing repair resins. 

Eqs. 1-5 hold whether failure is interfacial or cohesive within the adhesive. Furthermore, Eq. 5 shows that the reversible work of adhesion directly controls the fracture energy of an adhesive joint, even if failure occurs far from the interface. This is demonstrated in Table 5, which shows the static toughness of a series of wedge test specimens with a range of adherend surface treatments. All of these samples failed cohesively within the resin, yet show a range of static toughness values of over 600%. 

Resistance to Fracture - The ion or ionized complexes that the resins are required to fix are of varied dimensions and weights. The swelling and contraction of the resin bead that this causes must obviously not cause the grains to burst. 

Tests by Roe et al. [63] with unidirectional jute fiber-reinforced UP resins show a linear relationship (analogous to the linear mixing rule) between the volume content of fiber and Young s modulus and tensile strength of the composite over a range of fiber content of 0-60%. Similar results are attained for the work of fracture and for the interlaminate shear strength (Fig. 20). Chawla et al. [64] found similar results for the flexural properties of jute fiber-UP composites. 

Figure 20 Influence of fiber content by volume on tensile strength. Youngs modulus, work of fracture, and interlaminate shear strength of one-dimensional jute fiber-reinforced UP resins [63].

The resin is supplied in moist condition, and should not be allowed to dry out particulate fracture may occur after repeated drying and re-wetting. 

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