Polyester resins materials

Low-profile additives are generally materials such as poly (vinyl acetate), polystyrene, polyethylene or polycarbonate. During the unsaturated polyester cure cycle, the low-profile additives separate into a second phase, which expand to counteract the shrinkage of the curing unsaturated polyester resin. Material development and the science of low-profile additives have helped create substantial markets for unsaturated polyesters. Their use in automotive markets, where Class A show room quality surfaces is a requirement, is an example of this. 

About 2 X 10 Ib/year of 1 2 epoxypropane is produced in the United States as an intermediate in the preparation of various polymeric materials including polyurethane plastics and foams and polyester resins A large fraction of the 1 2 epoxypropane is made from propene by way of its chlorohydrm... 

Dry chlorine has a great affinity for absorbing moisture, and wet chlorine is extremely corrosive, attacking most common materials except HasteUoy C, titanium, and tantalum. These metals are protected from attack by the acids formed by chlorine hydrolysis because of surface oxide films on the metal. Tantalum is the preferred constmction material for service with wet and dry chlorine. Wet chlorine gas is handled under pressure using fiberglass-reinforced plastics. Rubber-lined steel is suitable for wet chlorine gas handling up to 100°C. At low pressures and low temperatures PVC, chlorinated PVC, and reinforced polyester resins are also used. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), poly(vinyhdene fluoride) (PVDE), and... 

Ketone Peroxides. These materials are mixtures of compounds with hydroperoxy groups and are composed primarily of the two stmctures shown in Table 2. Ketone peroxides are marketed as solutions in inert solvents such as dimethyl phthalate. They are primarily employed in room-temperature-initiated curing of unsaturated polyester resin compositions (usually containing styrene monomer) using transition-metal promoters such as cobalt naphthenate. Ketone peroxides contain the hydroperoxy (—OOH) group and thus are susceptible to the same ha2ards as hydroperoxides. 

Fumaric acid occurs naturally in many plants and is named after Fumaria officinalis, a climbing aimual plant, from which it was first isolated. It is also known as (E)-2-butenedioic acid, aHomaleic acid, boletic acid, Hchenic acid, or /n j -l,2-ethylenedicarboxylic acid. It is used as a food acidulant and as a raw material in the manufacture of unsaturated polyester resins, quick-setting inks, furniture lacquers, paper sizing chemicals, and aspartic acid [56-84-8]. 

Other minor raw materials are used for specific needs. Eumaric acid [110-17-8] the geometric isomer of maleic acid, is selected to maximize thermal or corrosion performance and is the sole acid esterified with bisphenol A diol derivatives to obtain optimum polymer performance. CycloaUphatics such as hydrogenated bisphenol A (HBPA) and cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM) are used in selective formulations for electrical apphcations. TetrahydrophthaUc anhydride [85-43-8] (THPA) can be used to improve resiUence and impart useful air-drying properties to polyester resins intended for coating or lining apphcations. 

Unsaturated Polyester Resins (UPR). The principal uses are in putty, coatings, and adhesives. Glass-reinforced UPR is used for marine, constmction, and vehicle materials, as weU as for electrical parts. 

Materials are also blended with VDC copolymers to improve toughness (211—214). VinyHdene chloride copolymer blended with ethylene—vinyl acetate copolymers improves toughness and lowers heat-seal temperatures (215,216). Adhesion of a VDC copolymer coating to polyester can be achieved by blending the copolymer with a linear polyester resin (217). 

Carpet. Carpet, an important textile, may also be treated to provide water and oU repeUency however, the principal functions of the current carpet treatments are to provide soU and stain resistance. High quaUty carpets, especiaUy those made from nylon, polyester, or wool, have a significant proportion of the surface coated with fluorochemical materials. The treatments can be spray-appUed to a finished carpet or appUed directly to the fiber during the spinning or dyeing operations. Suitable fluorinated resin materials are readily avaUable from 3M or DuPont. 

Thermosetting unsaturated polyester resins constitute the most common fiber-reinforced composite matrix today. According to the Committee on Resin Statistics of the Society of Plastics Industry (SPl), 454,000 t of unsaturated polyester were used in fiber-reinforced plastics in 1990. These materials are popular because of thek low price, ease of use, and excellent mechanical and chemical resistance properties. Over 227 t of phenoHc resins were used in fiber-reinforced plastics in 1990 (1 3). PhenoHc resins (qv) are used when thek inherent flame retardance, high temperature resistance, or low cost overcome the problems of processing difficulties and lower mechanical properties. 

Polyester resins, reinforced with fiberglass, have good strength and good chemical resistance except to alkalies. Some special materials in this class, based on bisphenol and vinyl esters are more alkali-... 

This is also known as Bulk Moulding Compound (BMC). It is blended through a mix of unsaturated polyester resin, crosslinking monomer, catalyst, mineral fillers and short-length fibrous reinforcement materials such as chopped glass fibre, usually in lengths of 6-25 mm. They are all mixed in different proportions to obtain the required electromechanical properties. The mix is processed and cured for a specific time, under a prescribed pressure and temperature, to obtain the DMC. 

This is a material produced from the impregnation of glass fibre-mat (fibreglass, which is in the form of dry sheet, is commonly known as chopped stranded mat (CSM)) or rovings, with a liquid and unsaturated polyester resin, which thickens chemically to a dry sheet form. The total mix is sandwiched between polyethylene films and then roller-pressed to impregnate and consolidate it. 

The demands on insulating materials in soil and fresh water are relatively low. Anodically evolved oxygen makes the use of aging-resistant insulating materials necessary. These consist of special types of rubber (neoprene) and stabilized plastics of polyethylene, and polyvinylchloride, as well as cast resins such as acrylate, epoxy, polyester resin and many others. 

Polyesters are eneountered in many forms. They are important as laminating resins, moulding compositions, fibres, films, surface coating resins, rubbers and plasticisers. The common factor in these widely different materials is that they all contain a number of ester linkages in the main chain. (There are also a number of polymers such as poly(vinyl acetate) which contain a number of ester groups in side chains but these are not generally considered within the term polyester resins.)... 

Polyester resins have been widely accepted in the manufacture of boat hulls, including minesweepers. Such hulls are competitive in price with those built from traditional materials and are easier to maintain and repair. 

The applications of the unsaturated polyester resins were increased in the late 1960s by the introduction of water-extended polyesters. In these materials water is dispersed into the resin in very tiny droplets (ca 2-5 p.m diameter). Up to 90% of the system can consist of water but more commonly about equal parts of resin and water are used. The water component has two basic virtues in this system it is very cheap and because of its high specific heat it is a good heat sink for moderating cure exotherms and also giving good heat shielding properties of interest in ablation studies. 

Not only does the material have excellent resistance to burning but smoke emission values are reported to be much less than for fire-retardant polyester resin. The laminates are being increasingly used in situations where corrosion is associated with organic media, where corrosion is encountered at temperatures above 100°C as in fume stacks and where both fire retardance and corrosion resistance are desired as in fume ducts. 

Since the last edition several new materials have been aimounced. Many of these are based on metallocene catalyst technology. Besides the more obvious materials such as metallocene-catalysed polyethylene and polypropylene these also include syndiotactic polystyrenes, ethylene-styrene copolymers and cycloolefin polymers. Developments also continue with condensation polymers with several new polyester-type materials of interest for bottle-blowing and/or degradable plastics. New phenolic-type resins have also been announced. As with previous editions I have tried to explain the properties of these new materials in terms of their structure and morphology involving the principles laid down in the earlier chapters. 

Membranes are applied directly to the metal or concrete surface to protect from corrosion by any liquor that penetrates the brick lining through pores and cracks. Membranes consist of sheet material bonded to the metal or concrete, e.g., flexible PVC sheet, or it may be formed in situ (e.g., polyester resin reinforced with glass fiber, or synthetic rubber sheet, lead, polyisobutylene, polyethylene and asphalt). 

Polyester resins, reinforced with glass fibers, are used widely in the construction of process equipment. Some physical and mechanical properties are presented in Table 3.48. Table 3.49 lists various materials used as filler and the properties they impart to different plastics. 

Nowadays the major thermosetting resins used in conjunction with glass fibre reinforcement are unsaturated polyester resins and to a lesser extent epoxy resins. The most important advantages which these materials can offer are that they do not liberate volatiles during cross-linking and they can be moulded using low pressures at room temperature. Table 3.1 shows typical properties of fibre reinforced epoxy. 

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