Polymers in Sport

R.P. Brown, Polymers in Sport, Rapra Review Report No.l35, Rapra Technology, Shawbury, Shrewsbury, UK, 2001, 12, 3. 

Second behind packaging in the United States is the use of polymers in fiber and fiberfill applications that encompass the apparel, sports equipment, building and construction, electronic, furniture and furnishings, and industrial/machinery markets. In 1998, 4.8 million metric t of manufactured fiber was produced for use in traditional consumer products such as apparel, carpets, upholstered furniture, and bedding as well as in high-tech applications such as composite materials, medical devices, and electronic circuit boards (17). Key fiber types include polyester, nylon, olefin,... 

The acid chloride is dissolved, for example, in hexane, and the diamine in water along with some NaOH to soak up the HCl. The aqueous layer is gently poured on top of the diamine solution. The reactants diffuse to the interface, where they react rapidly to form a polymer film. The resulting polymer is insoluble in both phases and can be drawn off in the form of a rope. The continuous thread or rope can be wound on a windlass until one or the other of the two reactants is exhausted (Fig. 14.24). This polyamide has found applications in sport equipment and bristles for brushes. 

Chemists have been synthesizing polymers in laboratories for only about 100 years. Can you imagine what life was like before people had these synthetic polymers You might have gotten wet on the way to school without a nylon raincoat, eaten a stale sandwich for lunch without plastic wrap or a container to put it in, and worn a heavier cotton rmiform in your sports activity instead of a lightweight, synthetic fabric. Many polymers have added conveniences that we take for granted in our lives. 

Pebax . [Atochem N. Am. Atochem UK] Polyether block amide polymers, extrusion/molding grade polymer used in sport, automobile, elec7electionics, medical, agriculture, and mechanical handling industries, adhesives. 

Nylon 12 Thermoplastic polymer of lauric lactam. Has good impact strength, hardness, abrasion resistance, and dimensional stability. Processed by powder coating, rotational molding, extrusion, and injection molding. Used in sporting goods and auto parts. 

Nanocomposites are a novel class of materials that offer the attractive advantages of polymers, as they are easy to process and lightweight, but are modified to provide marked enhancements in physical properties and potentially to perform well in launch and space environments. To this point, nanocomposites have found use in sporting goods, such as athletic shoes, and under-the-hood components in automobile engines but can potentially be used in a much broader range of applications including aerospace applications. 

Carbon fiber/polymer matrix composites are extensively used in sporting goods and recreational applications. This is the second most important field of applications for carbon fibers. It has been largely responsible for the rapid growth of carbon fiber production during the last two decades and hence for the decrease in fiber prices [12-13]. 

Other possible uses that have been suggested for the material in the United States are in sports equipment and also in patterns for molding. Weight problems are likely to be important as far as sports goods are concerned, since the density of the wood plastics material is appreciably greater than wood itself, but undoubtedly possibilities exist for replacement of expensive and often scarce timbers by polymer-loaded woods. 

Polymers are well-suited as matrix materials due to their low density and their low processing temperatures. Accordingly, composites with a polymer matrix are of extreme technical importance. They are indispensable in aerospace industry and many other areas, for example in sports equipment. Polymer matrix composites can be used with long and short fibres. We will start this section by discussing long-fibre polymer matrix composites and then study short-fibred ones. 

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