Plasticity external influences

One more application area is composite materials where one wants to investigate the 3D structure and/or reaction to external influences. Fig.3a shows a shadow image of a block of composite material. It consists of an epoxy matrix with glass fibers. The reconstructed cross-sections, shown in Fig.3b, clearly show the fiber displacement inside the matrix. The sample can be loaded in situ to investigate the reaction of matrix and fibers to external strain. Also absorption and transmission by liquids can be visualized directly in three-dimensions. This method has been applied to the study of oil absorption in plastic granules and water collection inside artificial plant grounds. 

Mass transport is understood to mean the molecular diffusion in, out and through plastic materials like that shown schematically in Fig. 1-3. This figure represents most applications where there is a layer of plastic material separating an external environmental media from an inner product media. The product can be a sensitive medium with a complex chemical composition, e.g. food, that must be protected from external influences such as oxygen and contaminants. It can also be an aggressive chemical that must not escape into the surrounding environment. Because this plastic material barrier layer usually includes low molecular weight substances incorporated into the polymer matrix, there are many applications in which the transport of these substances into the product and environment must be minimized. 

The authors [13] claim that interaction strength between hydrophobic substrate and aqueous phase is in fact negatively affected by the dissolved gas, which can protect the hydrophobic substrate from access of aqueous phase. They assume the existence of a mobile surface layer of polymer, which can be restructured under external influence. Observed relaxation of polymer nanostructures after a month s period allowed elucidating the model, according to which the enhanced mobility of the top of polymer film rather than its irreversible plastic deformation plays the role in the surface rearrangement. 

Fracture of massive brittle and ductile pieces are rather well understood. By taking proper account of the microstructure as well as the micro- and macro-defects, most catastrophic and fatigue failures find a satisfactory explanation within the scope of the linear elastic fracture mechanics or the elasto-plastic fracture mechanics. Metallic filaments are particular and in many respects deserve a treatment of their own. Particular fabrication methods, such as drawing, melt spinning or crystallization from the vapor phase for whiskers are needed to obtain their small lateral dimensions. These processes may give rise to particular textures, intrinsic and extrinsic defects. Thermal treatments may modify or eliminate such defects but in many cases fracture is initiated by defects that stem from the fabrication process. Moreover, the small lateral dimensions, especially in micro-wires, make metallic filaments prone to external influences. Corrosive attacks may rapidly affect an important fraction of their cross-section. Hydrogen, for instance, which usually results in a severe embrittlement, may diffuse up to the core in a rather short time. 

Metakaolin is an effective functional filler in plasticized PVC wire insulation at loadings of about 10 phr. It better protects the insulation from cracking or treeing, a term that describes the physical breakdown of the cable polymer matrix due to moisture or other external influences. Volume resistivity greatly improves when metakaolin is incorporated compared to other minerals (see Table 13.9) [15], although the color is not as white as with higher temperature fully calcined kaolin. In addition,... 

The fundamental weaknesses of plastics are caused by their macromolecular structure and relativeiy weak bonding forces. Piastics are thus subject to decidedly greater influences by the effects of heat, light, and oxygen, etc. than are metals or mineral materials. These and additional external influences, such as chemicals and radiation, initiate chemicai aging processes that cause the deterioration of properties and thus shorten the life span of piastic parts. 

The aging of plastics is influenced by external and internal factors External factors Temperature... 

In the presence of external forces, plastic foams in which the cells are elongated or flattened in a particular direction may be formed. This cell orientation can have a marked influence on many properties. The results of a number of studies have been reviewed (59,60). 

Rheology is the study of flow and deformation of materials under the influence of external forces. It involves the viscosity characteristics of powders, liquids, and semisolids. Rheological studies are also important in the industrial manufacture and applications of plastic materials, lubricating materials, coatings, inks, adhesives, and food products. Flow properties of pharmaceutical disperse systems can be of particular importance, especially for topical products. Such systems often exhibit rather complex rheological properties, and pharmaceutical scientists have conducted fundamental investigations in this area [58-64],... 

As mentioned earlier in this chapter dislocations in ionic crystal may carry a net electric charge. Therefore, their motion may be influenced by applied electric fields, and may generate observable fields external to a specimen during plastic flow. These effects have been studied by Li (2000) and others. 

A simple way to appreciate the shape of fullerene is to construct a physical model in which rigid planar trivalent nodal connectors represent the atoms and flexible plastic bars (tubes) of circular cross-section represent the bonds. From a mechanical point of view the model may be considered as a polyhedron-like space frame whose equilibrium shape is due to self-stress caused by deformation of bars. We suppose that the bars are equal and straight in the rest position and that they are inclined relative to each other at every node with angle of 120°. The material of the bars is assumed to be perfectly elastic and that Hooke s law is valid. All the external loads and influences are neglected and only self-stress is taken into account. Then we pose the question What is the shape of the model subject to these conditions To answer this question we apply the idea used for coated vesicles by Tarnai Gaspar (1989). 

In the plasticators output zone, both screw and barrel surfaces are usually covered with the melt, and external forces between the melt and the screw channel walls have no influence except when processing extremely high viscosity plastics such as rigid PVC and UHMWPE. The flow of the melt in the output section is affected by the coefficient of internal friction (viscosity) particularly when the die offers a high resistance to the flow of the melt (Chapter 3). Figure 5.2 shows the extruder s components where the following identifications are listed ... 

The characteristics of lubricants, their effects during plastics processing and their influence in the calendering process are discussed in depth. Attention is paid to the different intemal/external behaviour of lubricants, viscosity reduction by internal lubricants, fusion delay by external lubricants, shear liquefaction by lubricants and the suitability of various lubricants for the manufacture of calendered PVC films in relation to melt elasticity, release effect, flow and plate-out. 

The influence of factors such as chemical structure, molecular weight, cross-linking and plasticizers in the glass transition of polymers can be related to the changes that they provoke on the free volume fraction, which, as we already know, reaches a critical value at the glass transition temperature. The factors affecting the glass transition can be classified into two types (1) molecular factors, i.e., those related to the chemical structure of the polymer chain, and (2) external or controllable factors. 

When a powder resides in a storage container for a period of time without moving, it can become more cohesive. Settling and compaction, crystallization, chemical reactions or adhesive bonding can cause such cohesion. These effects can be further influenced by the humidity and temperature of the environment, as discu.ssed previously. The powder may also experience adhesion if allowed to remain at rest against a surface, such as the steel of a container or a plastic bag liner. Adhesion can result in an increase in wall friction between the material and the surface, which can require hopper angles or external forces (e.g., vibration) to overcome the adhesion effects. 

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